Under the theme of "Technology Empowerment • New Quality Future," the iron and steel industry is accelerating its transformation and upgrading toward intelligent manufacturing and green, low-carbon development, leveraging innovation to ignite the endogenous dynamics of high-quality development and foster new quality productive forces. Focusing on the core agenda of green and low-carbon development, CERI integrated forces from industry, academia, research, and application to successfully develop the "complete technology for ultra-thick straight-curved slab continuous casters" through original innovation. Beyond resolving the global challenge of efficiently producing high-quality extra-heavy plates, this technology—distinguished by revolutionary emission reductions and a full-process green manufacturing model—provides the industry with a benchmark solution for fostering new quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system. Honored with the highest accolade in metallurgical science and technology, this technology highlights the powerful momentum of technological innovation driving the green, low-carbon, and high-quality development of the iron and steel industry. 

Breaking Bottlenecks: Winning the Crown in Green Metallurgical Innovation 

High-performance extra-heavy plates are core foundation materials for national development and security. With an annual demand of nearly 3 million tons, they are widely applied in critical fields such as offshore engineering, energy and power, and mega infrastructure. However, for a long time, the production of ultra-thick slabs has faced dual constraints: low efficiency coupled with high energy consumption and emissions, and persistent technical bottlenecks. Traditional ingot mold casting entails long solidification periods and is inherently discontinuous; severe internal segregation and porosity limit the yield to below 70%, typifying a high-energy, high-emission, high-cost, and low-efficiency production mode. 

Foreign attempts at vertical continuous casting necessitate excavating a 30-meter-deep pit, involving massive investment, high energy consumption, and high risks of slab drops. With an operating rate below 30%, this route is incompatible with China's requirements for green, low-carbon, and high-quality development. Previously, the maximum production thickness for straight-curved casters was limited to 400 mm. Increasing this to 450 mm presented formidable technical barriers, including a 60% surge in straightening stress and a threefold spike in crack risk. Compounded by the absence of design precedents and standards, the technical difficulty of this undertaking was immense. 

Breaking through the bottlenecks of extra-heavy plate production, Chinese innovation has clinched the highest honor in metallurgical science and technology with green and low-carbon excellence. Developed jointly by CERI and five partner institutions—Northeastern University, Xingcheng Special Steel Works, Xiangtan Steel, NISCO, and Central Iron & Steel Research Institute —the project "Development and Application of Complete Technology for Ultra-thick Straight-curved Slab Continuous Casters” delivered disruptive innovation that resolved a global challenge: the low efficiency, high energy consumption, and poor quality stability in producing high-performance extra-thick plates with thicknesses of ≥100 mm. The project was awarded the Grand Prize of the 2025 Metallurgical Science and Technology Award—the highest honor in China’s metallurgical industry—injecting strong momentum into green, low-carbon, and high-quality development in China and the global metallurgical sector. 

The project pioneered and realized the new concept of continuously producing ultra-thick slabs (≥450 mm) via straight-curved continuous casting, providing a high-efficiency, green, low-carbon, and stable solution for the production of high-performance extra-heavy plates. The caster height is reduced to 15 meters, significantly lowering energy consumption and investment in civil works. Meanwhile, production output increases by 2.5 times compared to vertical continuous casting, substantially boosting resource utilization efficiency. Investment and operational costs are reduced to 1/12, significantly lowering lifecycle costs and embodied carbon emissions. 

Core Breakthroughs: Driving Key Technologies for Green Manufacturing 

After over a decade of intensive research, the CERI project team has achieved four core green and low-carbon innovative breakthroughs. 

In terms of theoretical and process innovation, the project team has reduced energy consumption for rejects and rework. It has elucidated the crack evolution mechanism of ultra-thick slabs under the combined effect of microstructure characteristics and external field deformation, and revealed how "M"-shaped non-uniform solidification exacerbates center segregation and deteriorates core quality. The team has also innovatively proposed a new method for low-crack-risk equipment design and process control featuring "low-strain roll layout + low-temperature straightening" for ultra-thick slabs, and established crack risk constraint criteria of straightening corner temperature ≤ 750°C and tensile strain ≤ 1.5%. This process significantly reduced the rejection rate and energy consumption for rework caused by cracks. 

In terms of key process technologies, the team achieved precise temperature control and efficient resource utilization. It has pioneered precise temperature control and high-efficiency cooling technologies—such as the "small-radius, low-strain straightening dense roll layout" and "45-loop secondary cooling precision zoning"—which have improved cooling efficiency and reduced water and energy consumption, ensuring a straightening corner strain of < 0.79% for ultra-thick slabs and an ultra-low crack rate of ≤ 0.4% for crack-sensitive steels. It has also pioneered a full-process control technology for high-homogeneity solidification of ultra-thick slabs, featuring a combination of "non-equal inclination four-port gate nozzle + secondary cooling alternating EMS + continuous roll gap tapering + heavy reduction at the solidification end." This has achieved a C-level center segregation rate of ≥ 91%, significantly increasing yield and reducing resource waste. Furthermore, breaking the conventional theory that the basic arc radius (R) of a caster must be greater than 30 times the billet thickness, it has successfully produced 450 mm slabs with an R11m radius for the first time. The resulting compact design has reduced equipment weight and manufacturing energy consumption and is recognized as the industry's best solution. 

In terms of core equipment development, the project team has achieved high efficiency, precision, long service life, and reduced consumption. The high-efficiency heat transfer mold features a transverse temperature difference across the copper plate's broad face of ≤ 10°C, a transverse vibration deviation within ±0.08 mm, and a steel throughput of ≥ 150,000 tons, thereby improving thermal efficiency. The high-stiffness, high-precision, and highly integrated 3H bending/straightening segments have a single-segment straightening force of 13,000 kN and a roll gap error within ±0.1 mm, reducing downtime maintenance and energy loss through high precision and reliability. The SLR heavy reduction arc segments exert the world's largest pressing force of 2,400 tons and are equipped with low-resistance, long-life variable curvature convex rolls that boost the reduction amount by 65%. The adoption of this long-life, low-resistance design reduces operating energy consumption and minimizes maintenance resource usage. 

In terms of smart control technologies, the project team has guaranteed efficient and stable operation and reduced waste. It has developed and applied a real-time sensing and control system for the ultra-thick slab continuous casting process based on digital twins. This system enables the detection of critical equipment anomalies, accurate mold level control, precise breakout prediction, and the like. Additionally, the detection rate for critical faults—such as roll gap deviation and nozzle clogging—exceeds 93%, mold level fluctuation is maintained within ±2 mm, and the breakout false alarm rate per 1,000 heats is kept below 1%. These capabilities ensure a reliable application rate of ≥ 99% for key processes and equipment. This guarantees efficient and stable operation even under heavy load impacts, thereby minimizing unplanned downtime and the waste of energy and materials. 

Remarkable Achievements: Forging a Green and Low-Carbon Chinese Solution 

These technologies were applied to build the world's first 450 mm thick straight-curved ultra-thick slab continuous casting production line at Xingcheng Special Steel Works. They have since been successfully implemented at five other enterprises, including Xiangtan Steel and NISCO, capturing a global market share of 83.3%. They have successfully replaced the energy-intensive and high-emission ingot mold casting process, achieving full coverage of all categories of high-end extra-heavy plate products for sectors including offshore engineering, green energy, and heavy machinery. 

The products have been applied to nearly 100 national green engineering projects and high-end equipment manufacturing initiatives, including the Baihetan Hydropower Station (the world's largest in terms of single-unit capacity), the Haiji-2 offshore platform (the deepest in Asia), and the N966 wind turbine installation vessel (the world's largest). The products have been supplied to more than 20 key "Belt and Road" projects, including the Amur Gas Processing Plant (AGPP) in Russia (the world's largest natural gas project) and the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia (the world's tallest building). These applications have established a new high-efficiency, high-quality, and low-carbon production process for high-end extra-heavy plates. 

The project has been granted 76 domestic and international invention patents, registered 17 software copyrights, and formulated 13 national and group standards. It has been selected for the "Innovation China" Leading Technology List and recognized as a "Manufacturing Single Champion" by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Over the past three years, the project has produced over 5 million tons of extra-heavy plates, generated an additional output value of approximately RMB 40 billion, and reduced cumulative CO₂ emissions by over 2 million tons, securing key achievements in green and low-carbon performance. 

This internationally pioneered technology is significantly bolstering China's supply assurance capabilities for critical metallic materials and high-end equipment manufacturing through its revolutionary green and low-carbon advantages. The project has been nominated for the 2025 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award, and the team has received prestigious honors such as the "National Worker Pioneer" and "National Advanced Worker." These achievements mark a historic leap for China in the field of metallurgical equipment technology, transitioning from "following" to "leading." It provides an efficient, green, low-carbon, and reliable "China Solution" for the global extra-heavy plate industry. It has powerfully driven the cultivation and development of "new quality productive forces" in the iron and steel industry, setting a benchmark for the sector's green and low-carbon transformation and the construction of a modern industrial system. 

The successful implementation of the "complete technology for ultra-thick straight-curved slab continuous casters" serves as a vivid interpretation of the "Technology Empowerment • New Quality Future" concept in the steel industry. With independent innovation as the engine, this technology propels extra-heavy plate manufacturing into a new era of high efficiency, high quality, and low carbon. With green and low-carbon development as the core, it significantly reduces resource consumption and carbon emissions, reshaping production models. With intelligent control as the safeguard, the technology ensures process stability and reliability, enhancing intrinsic efficiency. This achievement not only powerfully guarantees the urgent supply of core materials for major national projects and high-end equipment but also provides a replicable and scalable "China Solution" for the global iron and steel industry to cultivate "new quality productive forces" and achieve green and sustainable development. Looking ahead, guided by scientific and technological innovation, CERI will further strengthen the "dual-engine" momentum of intelligent manufacturing and green, low-carbon development. The company is dedicated to supporting China’s steel industry to accelerate the high-end, intelligent, and green transformation and embark on a new journey of high-quality development. In doing so, CERI will contribute even more formidable "steel strength" to building a modern industrial system that is competitive, secure, and reliable, advancing China’s goal of becoming a leading manufacturing powerhouse.