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Metinvest to Upgrade Azovstal's Blast Furnace No. 4
10/29/2013 - Metinvest Group will invest over US$ 92 million to upgrade Azovstal’s blast furnace No. 4. The work will increase the furnace’s annual output by 25% to 1.1 million tons of iron.
The upgrade will take 120 days and start in June 2014. Currently, tenders and the selection of a contractor are in progress. Contracts are also being concluded with equipment suppliers.
The project will bring the furnace’s operational parameters into compliance with European environ-mental standards. The furnace’s environmental protection equipment will be completely reconstructed, including its skip pit treatment facilities, the bell-less top unit, and the blast furnace gas cleaning system.
Other units to be modernized include the cast house aspiration systems. The systems’ existing electrostatic precipitator will be switched for a bag filter with replaced air pipes, valves, and exhaust spouts. The new system will increase flue gas purification by up to 99%. Emissions levels will be be-low the 50 mg\m3 required by Ukrainian legislation.
The modernization will also feature a number of technological innovations. The hearth and bottom will be made of graphite and microporous carbon blocks with a ceramic cup. This design will reduce heat losses and coke consumption, while increasing the scheduled time between overhauling from 10-12 years to 15-20 years.
A state-of-the-art castable refractory will be installed as iron and slag runner lining to achieve maxi-mum separation of melting products. The runners will be covered to eliminate dust and emissions of harmful substances. Cast houses will be expanded and two-storied. Instrumentation, automation, and the process control system will be upgraded.
"The crisis in the metallurgical industry does not mean that Metinvest’s development projects have been frozen,” said Enver Tskitishvili, Azovstal’s general director. “Assets are being modernized. The upgrade to blast furnace #4 will be the key challenge for Azovstal next year. We will increase furnace performance without an additional impact on Mariupol’s environment. In fact, the new cleaning systems will allow for the total utilization of flue gases.”
The project will bring the furnace’s operational parameters into compliance with European environ-mental standards. The furnace’s environmental protection equipment will be completely reconstructed, including its skip pit treatment facilities, the bell-less top unit, and the blast furnace gas cleaning system.
Other units to be modernized include the cast house aspiration systems. The systems’ existing electrostatic precipitator will be switched for a bag filter with replaced air pipes, valves, and exhaust spouts. The new system will increase flue gas purification by up to 99%. Emissions levels will be be-low the 50 mg\m3 required by Ukrainian legislation.
The modernization will also feature a number of technological innovations. The hearth and bottom will be made of graphite and microporous carbon blocks with a ceramic cup. This design will reduce heat losses and coke consumption, while increasing the scheduled time between overhauling from 10-12 years to 15-20 years.
A state-of-the-art castable refractory will be installed as iron and slag runner lining to achieve maxi-mum separation of melting products. The runners will be covered to eliminate dust and emissions of harmful substances. Cast houses will be expanded and two-storied. Instrumentation, automation, and the process control system will be upgraded.
"The crisis in the metallurgical industry does not mean that Metinvest’s development projects have been frozen,” said Enver Tskitishvili, Azovstal’s general director. “Assets are being modernized. The upgrade to blast furnace #4 will be the key challenge for Azovstal next year. We will increase furnace performance without an additional impact on Mariupol’s environment. In fact, the new cleaning systems will allow for the total utilization of flue gases.”
