A few days ago, the world's top 10 technology news in the iron and steel industry, appraised and elected by the World Metals, was announced. With profound scientific research strength and excellent innovation ability, NEU’s two key technologies were successfully selected, becoming a key force in promoting the transformation and upgrading of the iron and steel industry.
NEU and Meishan Iron & Steel have worked closely together in the field of low-carbon intelligent iron-making, and have achieved remarkable results. Since the two parties signed an industry-university-research cooperation agreement and unveiled the “Low Carbon Digital Steel Collaborative Innovation Center” in September 2023, NEU's Collaborative Innovation Center of Steel Technology has given full play to its professional advantages, and during the period of November 2023 to June 2024, the team utilized the innovative concept of “common model + individualized data” to successfully develop a smart blast furnace system, which was successfully applied to Meishan Iron & Steel’s 4070m³ blast furnace. With the strong support of accurate data, this system has constructed a data governance program covering the whole chain of “raw fuel-operation-condition-slag iron” and an intelligent diagnostic blast furnace intelligence model. Based on the model, the development trend of blast furnace parameters can be accurately predicted 1 to 3 hours in advance, which provides a key basis for timely adjustment of production strategy. In the face of changes in the quality of raw fuel, the batching program can be optimized and adjusted 6 hours in advance, which effectively guarantees the stability of production. And, the multi-dimensional extraction of furnace condition's information realizes scientific and comprehensive intelligent assessment and real-time diagnosis of furnace condition, which builds a solid guarantee for the stable and smooth operation of the blast furnace. This project not only significantly improves the stability of Meishan Iron & Steel's blast furnace operation, but also helps to achieve the important goals of reducing carbon emissions by 5% and lowering costs by RMB 30 per ton of iron, which strongly promotes the formation of a new mode of low-carbon production in the whole process of iron-making, provides valuable demonstration samples for the transformation of the iron and steel industry into an intelligent and low-carbon industry, and leads the industry in a new direction of development.
In the research and development of high-performance clean energy steels, as energy engineering scales up to megaproject levels, LNG marine storage tanks have imposed extremely stringent requirements on steel performance, demanding both high strength and excellent impact toughness in extremely low temperatures of -196℃. NEU, in collaboration with enterprises such as Xiangtan Iron ＆ Steel Group Co., LTD, and Nanjing Iron ＆ Steel Group Co., LTD, has successfully overcome technical challenges and developed a new nickel-saving low-temperature steel composition system and manufacturing process with a Ni content of 5.5-6.5 wt.% and Mo microalloying. This breakthrough enables the steel to possess both high strength and high toughness in extremely cold environments of -196°C, surpassing the performance limits of traditional materials and rivaling the performance of traditional 9Ni steel with the new nickel-saving steel. As a result, the 6-50mm thick Mo microalloyed 5.5Ni steel produced by Xiangtan Iron ＆ Steel Group Co., LTD has been successfully exported overseas, replacing 9Ni steel in the construction of LNG storage tanks. Moreover, Xiangtan Iron ＆ Steel Group Co., LTD and Nanjing Iron ＆ Steel Group Co., LTD have taken the lead internationally in using Mo microalloyed 7Ni steel to replace 9Ni steel in manufacturing 78,900 m³ LNG marine storage tanks. The new product offers cost savings of RMB 2,000-3,000 per ton compared with 9Ni steel, while the welding process is environmentally friendly and efficient, and the safety of welded joints has been significantly improved. This technological breakthrough opens up a new path for the enhancement of strength and toughness of steel materials in extremely low-temperature environments and has a significant driving effect on the development and application of high-performance clean energy steels. It holds important strategic significance for global energy transportation and storage security.
NEU’s outstanding achievements in the technological innovation process of the global steel industry in 2024 are a testament to its long-term dedication to steel research and its commitment to industry-academia-research collaborative innovation. NEU has not only provided steel enterprises with a large number of cutting-edge technological achievements, accelerating the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, but also cultivated a large number of professional talents, enriching the talent pool of the industry and injecting lasting momentum into the sustainable development of the steel industry. Looking ahead, NEU will continue to uphold the concept of innovation-driven development, deepen steel technology research and development, and contribute to the high-quality and sustainable development of the global steel industry, writing a new chapter in steel science and technology.
