Brief Introduction to NERCAST

     National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Steel Technology (NERCAST), one of over eighty National Engineering Research Centers in China, focuses on developing the advanced steelmaking technology at the national level and serves for the entire Chinese steel industries. NERCAST was established on June 28, 2004 and authorized by National Development and Reform Commission, which is the State Council department responsible for the macro-regulation of the national economy in China, such as studying and formulating policies related to economic and social development.

      NERCAST is a research center cooperated between steel relevant industries, institutes and universities, but runs like a stock-joint company. A total of 110 million RMB has been invested into NERCAST by 13 Chinese steel-oriented shareholders: Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI, the largest shareholder), University of Science and Technology Beijing, Shanghai University, Wuhan Iron and Steel Group Corporation, Dongbei Special Steel Group Co. LTD., Xinye Hi-Tech Group Corporation, Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation, Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group Corporation, Northeastern University, Anshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation, Shougang Group, Taiyuan Group Co., LTD. and Jiangsu Shagang Group. Almost all of these shareholders are very important steel makers or sources for developing new steel technologies in China.

Executive of NERCAST

      Since its foundation, NERCAST has been funded by both the national and the industry sponsorships. National Development and Reform Commission has the authority over NERCAST and evaluates its performance regularly. Some distinguished and influential people in the Chinese steel sector have contributed a lot to the setup of NERCAST and are now still engaged in the management of NERCAST:

Chairman of directors: Prof. Yong GAN
President of Central Iron & Steel Research Institute, member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 

Vice Chairman of directors: Prof. Zhiling TIAN
vice president of Central Iron & Steel Research Institute

Chief Manager: Prof. Han DONG
Director of Institute for Structural Materials in CISRI

Chairman of the Supervisory Board:Prof. Kuangdi XU
President of Chinese Academy of Engineering

Vice chairman of the Supervisory Board:Prof. Yuqing WENG
President of Chinese Society for Metals

Mission and Goals

       NERCAST is dedicated to developing a national effort of excellence in sustainable development of iron and steel industry, focusing on the R&D of advanced steels with characteristics of high performance, low cost, long duration, low tolerance and environment benign. The main objective of the Center is to be a platform for advanced steel technology transfer through the promotion of fundamental research, the development of cutting-edge technology, steel engineer education and steel technology engineering, so as to enhance the core competition of the steel enterprises.

Outstanding achievements

      Since its foundation, NERCAST has acted as a bridge between western and domestic industries/institutes/universities for the international cooperative research development and technology transfer. It has organized many international workshops specialized on some certain subjects, such high grade pipeline steels and super critical steels for power plants. It not only helps Chinese steel makers to import the advanced technologies from the west, but also helps foreign industries to expand their business in China. 

      NERCAST is making every effort to transforming its own developed technologies into practical application and get them industrialized in China. Most of technologies were developed in Institute for Structure Materials, former Division of Structural Materials in Central Iron & Steel Institute, and now adopted by some Chinese steel industries. These include:

• Refining technology for producing highly-clean steels;

• Technology for producing continuous casting billets/slabs with full equiaxed grain structure

• Technology for producing microalloyed steels with better performance and lower cost;

• Hot working technology for manufacturing ultra fine microstructures

• Prediction of microstructure evolution during the steel processing

Structure of NERCAST

      NERCAST is located in Institute for Structural Materials (ISM) in Beijing, former Division of Structural Materials in Central Iron & Steel Research Institute (CISRI). Some employee from Institute for Structurals Materias is selected as full time working staff in NERCAST since CISRI is the dominant shareholder of NERCAST. Hence, NERCAST follows the structure of ISM, and the following laboratories are going to be set up soon:

• Ultra fine microstructures analysis laboratory

• Laboratory for developing steels serving in the attacking environment

• Laboratory for characterizing and evaluating the performance of steels;

• Laboratory for producing highly clean steels by special refining equipments

• Modeling and prediction of microstructure evolution during the industrial steel processing

      Besides these laboratories, NERCAST is also going to set up a pilot plant, which includes a steel manufacturing industrial processing line at a small sale. It consists of melting and refining equipment; continuous caster and steel rolling line for long and flat steel products.