The largest steel mill in the world and the second oldest in Korea
250mm steel rolls produced at the 3rd hot rolling mill
Light and thin galvanization at 7GCL specialized in automotive steel sheet
Construction of a factory to produce electrical steel sheets with good electromagnetic and magnetic properties
“8.2 million out of 82 million units use POSCO products”
3rd hot rolling mill. Provided by POSCO
On the 30th of last month, as soon as I entered the 3rd hot rolling mill of POSCO Gwangyang Works, the heat emanating from the long, bright red slab (a lump of hot molten iron) was hot. Time and space suddenly turned to the jjimjilbang. The slab slid on the belt at a high speed, like a car passing by. The belt on which the slabs were placed ran along the 526m factory wall. In order for the slab to transform into various types of steel products, 170kg of high-pressure water per 1cm2 had to be sprayed at the right place in each process. Just as the product was made by spraying water during quenching at a blacksmith’s shop in the past, water was poured into the middle of the belt to remove debris from the slab surface and prevent the roll from being worn out. Every time water was sprayed on the slab, pure white steam rose up like an explosion with a boiling sound. The thickness of the slabs that went back and forth along the belt gradually became thinner, and the red color changed to dark gray. A POSCO official who showed the scene said, “It takes more than three days for steel products rolled as thin as toilet paper to cool down.” Gwangyang Works is the second oldest steelworks in Korea after Pohang Works established in 1968. After site preparation began in 1982, plating products were produced for the first time in 1988. With an area of 22㎢ (6.6 million pyeong), it is the largest single steelworks among 280 steelworks in the world. About 18,000 workers work. The blast furnace, which cannot be extinguished for more than 15 years once lit, stood at a height of 100m, and there was a 53km-long railroad that transported raw materials, molten iron, and steel products. After making iron ore imported from all over the world into a solid lump, it is put into a blast furnace together with coal, and the iron ore is melted at 1,200 degrees to become molten iron. The molten iron is converted into steel through a process of removing impurities. This steel slab is passed through rolls to make a thin and long sheet. Gwangyang Works produces a variety of steel products, including cold-rolled products made thinner at room temperature, galvanized products, and thick and strong steel plate products used for ships.
Steel products that have completed the rolling process. Provided by POSCO
A view of the 7GCL plant, which mainly produces automotive steel sheets. Provided by POSCO
POSCO is concentrating on making automotive steel sheets thinner and lighter, aiming at a change in the automobile market centering on electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are hundreds of kilograms heavier than ordinary cars because of the weight of the battery they are loaded with. The thickness of steel produced by POSCO can be produced as thin as 1.2 mm. Kim Chang-muk, head of the eco-friendly vehicle group of the Automotive Materials Marketing Department, said, “Last year, global automobile production was 82 million units. It takes about 1 ton of iron per unit. Since we sold 8.2 million tons of car steel plates alone, 8.2 million units, or 1 out of 10 cars, is a car made with steel made by POSCO,” he expressed confidence. POSCO is also increasing production of electrical steel sheets. Compared to general steel, electrical steel has a high silicon content, so it has excellent electrical and magnetic properties, so it is widely used for electric vehicle drive motors. In addition to the 100,000 tons (annual) produced at the Pohang Works, the Gwangyang Works also aims to increase production to a total of 400,000 tons by expanding production facilities by next year. This is the amount that can go into making drive motors for 5 million electric vehicles. At the construction site of the new electrical steel sheet plant, which started trial operation on the 3rd, Ahn Hyung-tae, Investment Engineering Office, Hyper NO, Capacity Enhancement TF Team Leader (Assistant Managing Director) said, “The thinner the thickness of the steel product, the less heat generation and energy loss. We plan to operate a facility that can roll very thinly with a precision design that can manage the thickness to 1/50 the length of a human hair.” Meanwhile, on the 3rd, the POSCO Group held a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the completion of the first phase of the Pohang Steelworks and announced that it would invest 121 trillion won at home and abroad by 2030. Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said, “We will open a sustainable future with eco-friendly future materials, just as we have led industrialization in Korea for the past 50 years.” The POSCO Research Institute estimates that the domestic investment will generate 121 trillion won in production inducement and about 330,000 jobs per year.
An electric car drive motor made of POSCO’s electrical steel sheet. Provided by POSCO
Gwangyang/Choi Woo-ri, staff reporter [email protected]
2023-07-05 21:00:27
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