The United Arab Emirates' largest and first integrated DRI-based minimill will be constructed at the EISF-Emirates Iron Steel Factory site in the Mussaffah Industrial Area (GHC group) in Abu Dhabi.

The new steel complex, one of the largest of this type ever constructed in the Gulf Region, will be supplied, installed and started up by Danieli on a complete turn-key basis.

It will be one of the newest generation of integrated minimills conceived to exploit specific local (competitive) energy availability and raw material resources.

The order, awarded in January 2006, foresees a new integrated minimill to produce structural steel long products, and consisting of: a 1.6-Mtpy direct reduction plant; a 1.4 Mtpy steelmaking and casting plant; a 620,000-tpy high-speed bar mill; and a 480,000-tpy high-speed wire rod mill.

Danieli will be in charge of the complete turn-key supply for the whole plant, including all the above mentioned main technological production units, the auxiliary plants and auxiliary services (such as the 220kV electrical substation, WTP, compressed air, workshops, laboratories, etc.), all infrastructures, civil works, buildings, as well as installation and startup of the whole plant.

The 1.6-Mtpy direct reduction plant engineered and manufactured by Danieli is a HYL ZR type which, due to high plant capacity, will be enhanced by some technology concepts developed and applied to other plants by Danieli.

This job represents a milestone in DRI plant construction as Danieli and HYL Technology will jointly and exclusively market innovative DRI plants incorporating technologies and process know-how acquired by HYL Technology and Danieli over the years. Further R&D activities to be carried out jointly are part of the agreement, which aims to gain an significant market share.

The new minimill will feature all the latest technologies and "high-tech" equipment available in steelmaking, casting, and rolling of long products.

The new 150-ton full-platform, split-shell AC EAF will operate based on 100% Hot DRI coming from the new nearby DRI plant, in continuous charge mode through the fifth hole. The EAF will be equipped with HiJet Modules and HIREG electrode digital regulation system for enhancing furnace operation and for energy consumption optimization.

Steel refining will take place in a 150-ton inert roof-type LF.

The six-strand "Fast Cast" conticaster will be equipped with the latest generation tundish and mould design, hydraulic oscillators, and all means to enable high-speed casting of 130 and 150-mm structural steel billets (designed for up to 200-mm square size). In addition, it will be suitable for future upgrading for casting of higher grade steels.

The meltshop will outfitted with all auxiliary plants and equipment, including material handling system, and primary and secondary fume dedusting plant.

The bar mill, made up of 16 SHS stands plus two six-pass DWB high-speed blocks, will produce 8 to 12 -mm-dia rebars delivered onto the cooling bed through the Double Twin Channel system at up to 37 mps. High-speed finish rolling will take place at two DWB blocks, fed by incoming stock slit into two strands at the upstream intermediate mill.

The wire rod mill, made up of 16 SHS stands and a 10-pass DWB high-speed finishing block, will produce 5.5 to 8 mm plain and 8 to 16-mm-dia deformed wire rod in two-ton coils at speeds of up to 110 mps.

Each mill will be fed by a 120-tph Danieli Centro Combustion walking hearth reheating furnace.

Danieli Automation will supply all electicals and an advanced, fully integrated automation system for the entire plant.

Project planning foresees a progressive startup of the various sections of the plant, starting with the rolling mills in the second half of year 2007.