On September 4, two innovative achievements led by Capital Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited (hereinafter referred to as "CERI") were recognized as internationally leading and advanced by a committee of 7 leading industry experts, including Professor Mao Xinping, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. One is the "Development and Application of Ultra-Large Capacity High-Temperature Annealing Ring Furnace for HiB-Oriented Silicon Steel," and the other is the "Development and Application of Key Technologies for Multi-Billet-Shape Continuous Casting Process and Equipment." This distinction marks another significant breakthrough in CERI's technological innovation and research and development capabilities in high-end metallurgical equipment. 

Development and Application of Ultra-Large Capacity High-Temperature Annealing Ring Furnace for HiB-Oriented Silicon Steel 

The innovative achievement in the "Development and Application of Ultra-Large Capacity High-Temperature Annealing Ring Furnace for HiB-Oriented Silicon Steel," recognized as being internationally leading, was a joint effort by CERI, CERI Phoenix Industrial Furnace, and Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. Addressing key industry challenges such as the narrow annealing process window and high precision requirements for control in oriented silicon steel production, CERI achieved comprehensive breakthroughs in process, equipment, and automation control: 

In terms of process, CERI has developed key process technologies such as uniform heating by fine functional zoning of ring furnaces, efficient mixed cooling, and continuous gas supply for protective atmosphere, which enables a furnace temperature accuracy within ±5°C and perfect satisfaction of the stringent requirements of oriented silicon steel production on coil temperature uniformity, heating and cooling rate, and protective atmosphere. In terms of equipment, CERI has pioneered the world's largest single-unit high-temperature annealing ring furnace for HiB-oriented silicon steel. Featuring a hearth intermediate diameter of 55.2 m, a space accommodating 120 steel coils, and a single-unit output of ≥ 100 kt/a, the furnace greatly improves the large-scale production capacity of oriented silicon steel. In terms of control technology, CERI developed for the first time the leaky cable wireless communication system and an auxiliary high-reliability intelligent control system, including key control technologies such as ring furnace wireless communication control, fully automatic combustion and cooling control, shielding gas supply, and joint automatic switching. These technologies enable the application of wireless communication systems on ring furnaces, ensuring the safe, stable, and long-term operation of high-temperature annealing ring furnaces for oriented silicon steel. The achievement has been successfully applied to multiple high-temperature annealing ring furnace projects for oriented silicon steel of Baowu Group, TISCO, and other enterprises, delivering significant economic and social benefits with promising prospects for further application. 

Innovative Achievement in the Development and Application of Key Technologies for Multi-Billet-Shape Continuous Casting Process and Equipment 

The innovative achievement in the "Development and Application of Key Technologies for Multi-Billet-Shape Continuous Casting Process and Equipment," rated as having reached the international advanced level, has been jointly accomplished by CERI, Northeastern University, and Anshan Huixin Casting Industry Co., Ltd. To address major industry challenges such as significant solidification differences among various billet types, crack control complexity, limited equipment flexibility, and challenges in equipment universality and temperature regulation, CERI has achieved a series of pioneering, independently developed technological breakthroughs: 

A low-strain continuous straightening roll array for multi-billet continuous casting machines, achieving a tensile strain of ≤ 0.5%; novel crack control methods, including a multi-billet compatible quick-change single nozzle casting system and enhanced cooling for R-angles of special-shaped billets to ensure uniform temperature control, effectively suppressing crack defects across all billet shapes; equipment such as molds based on transition frames, universal base segment units, and multi-billet-shape continuous casting dummy bars, along with automatic heavy-duty special-shaped billet dummy bar disconnection technology, enabling rapid equipment switching and multi-billet-shape compatibility; a 18-zone wide-range composite secondary cooling water control system, addressing temperature regulation challenges in both transverse and longitudinal directions for different billet shapes; a high-precision hydraulic control system for tension levelers, meeting the secondary cooling water and tension leveler control demands of multi-billet-shape continuous casting and resolving issues related to severe load imbalance during the straightening of small-section billets under wide casting dimension ranges; a digital twin system for multi-billet-shape continuous casting processes, realizing equipment monitoring, quality prediction, and precise control of process parameters. The achievements have enabled the compatible production of heavy-duty, special-shaped billets, slabs, and rectangular billets at Anshan Huixin Casting Industry Co., Ltd., and the compatible production of large round billets and slabs at Northeast Special Steel. These advancements have also been successfully applied in 10 other projects, generating significant economic and social benefits and demonstrating broad prospects for future application. 

This achievement evaluation conference was organized by China MCC, with participation from CERI's relevant leaders and technical team members.