Danieli said that through the project, the furnace will see a 10% increase in its working volume and will be converted from a lintel-supported unit to a freestanding unit. Also, the system that cools the tuyere zone, bosh and belly will be converted from one based on cast-iron staves to the Hoogovens cooling and lining design, Danieli said. 

“This cooling and lining design is based on machined copper plate coolers in combination with high-conductivity graphite, which is the only design with proven capability of achieving campaign lengths in excess of 20 years regardless of ironmaking process circumstances,” Danieli said.

Danieli will design and supply the new equipment and oversee installation and commissioning. The reline is scheduled to occur in the first quarter of 2018.

The blast furnace is one of eight at Magnitogorsk. The plant produces more than 12 million tons of steel annually.