Evraz undergoes complete upgrade for the rod and bar mill in Colorado, USA

Russula was selected by Evraz (Rocky Mountain Steel) to upgrade the rod and bar mill located in Pueblo, CO, USA. Russula will supply all the electrical equipment and control software necessary for the complete upgrade of the rolling mill drives and controls. The new Russula Mill Control will provide better cascade speed control, low tension and loop control and superior shear performance.

The Evraz rod and bar mill revamp will be carried out in three phases.

• Phase 1– Roughing, Intermediate, Finishing & Breakdown Mill
• Phase 2 – Rod Outlet Mill
• Phase 3 – Finishing Block

A total of 23 days downtime is anticipated to execute the three phases not including the time required for the finishing block installation. A multi-phase revamp approach will allow Evraz to upgrade obsolete control equipment and minimize mill downtime, which in turn reduces the impact on production.

Russula is responsible for the supply of 3 E-houses with HVAC, pulpits and operator desks, HMI, AC & DC Drives, engineering, installation supervision, commissioning and on-site operator/maintenance training. In addition, Russula will provide both on-site and off-site remote support after the start-up to guarantee a smooth transition back to production.

The electrical equipment and software home test will be tested next month in Russula’s workshop in A Coruña. The commissioning is scheduled for November later this year.

Over the past decade, Russula has averaged one complete mill revamp per year in the US alone. Worldwide, Russula has executed nine-teen control and drive upgrades for bar and rod mills similar to this one.