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Sumitomo Celebrates Progress on New Wakayama Works Blast Furnace
10/02/2008 - Sumitomo Metals holds a furnace building, or Koteire ceremony commemorating the start of brickwork for its new No. 1 Blast Furnace at the Wakayama Steel Works.
Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. held a furnace building ceremony (Koteire Ceremony) this week for its new No. 1 Blast Furnace at the Wakayama Steel Works.
A Koteire Ceremony is an event to commemorate the beginning of the brickwork furnace building, in which prayers are offered for safe construction and good performance of the furnace: smooth start-up, longevity and stable operation. Sumitomo commenced work on the blast furnace in November 2006, with construction proceeding smoothly and on schedule, including installation of the steel shell. The blowing-in ceremony for No. 1 Blast Furnace is scheduled for July 2009.
The New No. 1 Blast Furnace, with a 3700-m3 inner volume, will replace Wakayama Steel Works’ No. 4 Blast Furnace, which has a 2700-m3 inner volume and has been running since February 1982. With the new, larger No. 1 Blast Furnace, the Wakayama Steel Works’ crude steel production volume will expand to 4.5 million tonnes per year.
A Koteire Ceremony is an event to commemorate the beginning of the brickwork furnace building, in which prayers are offered for safe construction and good performance of the furnace: smooth start-up, longevity and stable operation. Sumitomo commenced work on the blast furnace in November 2006, with construction proceeding smoothly and on schedule, including installation of the steel shell. The blowing-in ceremony for No. 1 Blast Furnace is scheduled for July 2009.
The New No. 1 Blast Furnace, with a 3700-m3 inner volume, will replace Wakayama Steel Works’ No. 4 Blast Furnace, which has a 2700-m3 inner volume and has been running since February 1982. With the new, larger No. 1 Blast Furnace, the Wakayama Steel Works’ crude steel production volume will expand to 4.5 million tonnes per year.
On a historic note, No. 4 Blast Furnace’s more than 26 years of operation is recognized as the longest such duration in the world.
Similar to its No. 1 Blast Furnace at Kashima Steel Works, the company said that it plans to run Wakayama Steel Works’ new No. 1 Blast Furnace for more than 25 years. To support this goal, the company said it has incorporated various long-accumulated technologies into the furnace design for maintenance and analysis.
Construction of the new No. 1 Blast Furnace at Wakayama is part of Sumitomo’s ongoing investment in the facility’s upstream processes. Other featured investments include construction of a new No. 1 coke oven (with a planned operations start in June 2009), and a capacity increase for the sinter plant (with planned completion in December 2008). The company is also reinforcing the facility’s environmental protection investments, including a capacity increase for the Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ) unit. Total investments are estimated at 160-billion yen.
The company is also planning to construct a new No. 2 blast furnace to replace the No. 5 Blast Furnace currently in operation. The new No. 2 Blast Furnace, which is expected to start operation in October 2012, will be a twin furnace to the New No. 1 Furnace, built to the same specifications. By sharing operational know-how and spare parts, the company expects to realize stable operation and cost reduction. The company is also planning to reinforce the facility’s steelmaking facilities. Total investment for these projects is expected to reach 115-billion yen.
With the additional investments as stated above, the company expects to achieve an annual production capacity of 5.2 million tonnes of crude steel production, along with associated prosperity for the community of Wakayama.
The company is also planning to construct a new No. 2 blast furnace to replace the No. 5 Blast Furnace currently in operation. The new No. 2 Blast Furnace, which is expected to start operation in October 2012, will be a twin furnace to the New No. 1 Furnace, built to the same specifications. By sharing operational know-how and spare parts, the company expects to realize stable operation and cost reduction. The company is also planning to reinforce the facility’s steelmaking facilities. Total investment for these projects is expected to reach 115-billion yen.
With the additional investments as stated above, the company expects to achieve an annual production capacity of 5.2 million tonnes of crude steel production, along with associated prosperity for the community of Wakayama.
