Building a green, low-carbon, intelligent and sustainable Chinese steel sector was on the agenda when the Chinese Society for Metals held its biennial meeting in November.

The two-day event is the most influential leadership meeting of its kind in China and brings together steel sector giants.

This year’s conference, staged via video link, was hosted by CISDI Group.

Enterprise heads, metallurgy experts, scholars, scientists and technology developers were among the 50,000 online visitors to attend the CSM’s 13^th meeting.

Discussions focussed on the theory of metallurgical and materials, process, product, applications and their intelligent, green and low-carbon development.

CISDI’s role as host was in recognition of the company’s pacesetting role in technological advancements.

In a keynote speech, its chairman Xuewen Xiao looked back at the company’s 64-year history and its relocation from Anshan to Chongqing to answer the country’s call to develop Western China’s steel sector and build Pangang.

Mr Xiao commented: “CISDI has established full-process, systematic design concepts and methodology featuring ‘5-flow-interactive optimal solutions and master designs in its commitment to enhance systematic competitiveness and ongoing developments for its customers.

“A number of major Chinese plants, including those owned by private enterprises, have been supported by CISDI - from Baosteel, TISCO and Ansteel to Baotou Steel, Zhanjiang Steel, Chongqing Steel, Rizhao Steel, Zenith and Shenglong Metallurgical.

He added: “CISDI has also played a critical role in building globally influential, coastal greenfield benchmark plants along the Belt and Road Initiative routes - Formosa Ha Tinh Steel in Vietnam and ASSB in Malaysia.

“Our drive to create ever-greater technological innovations is unrelenting. We have allocated a total of USD $430 million to corporate research and development,” Mr Xiao elaborated.

“Eleven major Chinese R&D projects have been carried out, five of which were under CISDI’s leadership. Some 29 platforms have been built for implementing over 50 major research projects in China. Standout projects, the National Engineering Research Centre for Metallurgical Equipment Integration and a national-level Innovation Incubation Base have been built.”

CISDI is the creator of more than 250 technological innovations and products for consulting methods, processes, equipment, control models and intelligent, green and low-carbon applications.

The green, intelligent stockyard, the high-efficiency, low-consumption large blast furnace, the SACS 4-point linkage suspension BOF, smart, super-efficient continuous caster and high-strength hot-rolled strip’s skin-pass mill are among its most successful inventions, Mr Xiao told attendees.

“Dozens of core equipment developments - such as the crossover scraper reclaimer, large blast furnace’s top, short-stress path rolling mill, 3-roll tube mill, large-calibre Assel mill and universal mill - have brought about breakthrough solutions at plants which had long relied on conventional, imported equipment,” Mr Xiao explained.

“These scientific and technological additions have helped China to achieve greater standards in steel production.”

CISDI’s unified digital industrial internet platform enabled the world’s first full-process smart steelworks to be created. Its revolutionary ‘platform plus application’ architecture replaces the conventional ISA95.

Over 30 steel plants have turned to CISDI’s intelligent manufacturing solutions in the last three years. As a result, they have increased their productivity, gained greater control accuracy, reduced energy consumption and costs, and increased safety.

With CISDI’s solutions in place, Yongfeng Steel in China’s Shandong Province now operates with a digital, lean production and is tapping data values further to boost production.

“System engineering is CISDI’s philosophy for green business. We are committed to formulating carbon-reducing and cost-effective green routes which create technological transformation, alternative energy sources, greater efficiency, recycle resources and connect industry,” he explained.

“An integrated air pollution prevention and control tech system has been developed to address the root causes and achieve process control and end-of-pipe treatment.

“Solid waste treatment solutions focus on recovering irons and other valuable metals. Economical zero liquid discharge solutions are based on a salt balance. These solutions lead to zero solid waste and zero liquid discharges from a steel plant and reach ultra-low emissions standards.

“The market potential of core tech and equipment for industrial upgrading and transformation has increased dramatically - including the energy-conserving, low-carbon blast furnace, CISDI’s hydrogen-based shaft furnace, IGBT-based SuperARC electric furnace and high-performing continuous casting and rolling tech for thin slab.

“CISDI will continue its role in bridging applied science with industry by strengthening relationships with steel enterprises and increasing its commitment to research and development by linking with major universities and institutions.

“Integrated systematic optimisation, green and low-carbon, digital and intelligent solutions will contribute to a greener, smarter, more efficient and more people-centred steel sector.

“Internationalisation is our corporate strategy and awareness of CISDI’s brand is on the rise globally. Our solutions and services are in high demand from companies involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and also from western markets.”

During the CSM meeting, a youth forum discussed low-carbon development and sessions were also held for mining, ore concentration, ironmaking, steelmaking, continuous casting, rolling and heat treatment, green production and re-utilisation of resources, metallurgical automation and intelligent application, information tech application and zero liquid discharge.

Twenty of CISDI’s experts reported on their latest progress in research and technology and shared their engineering experience.