NLMK bolsters efficiency of blast furnace operations

The overhaul enables uninterrupted operation of the blast furnace and excellent product quality for the long term. It also increases the maximum output of the furnace by 7%, from 2.9 million to 3.1 million tonnes per year.

Additionally, a new gas treatment system has been introduced at BF-6, which provides a five-fold increase in the efficiency of blast furnace gas treatment. The overpressure produced by blast furnace gas is to be utilized by the top-pressure recovery turbine, a ’green‘ energy generating facility with a 14MW capacity.

The overhaul of BF-6 began in August 2016 and involved 11 contracting agencies and 15 corporate business units. The 33-day overhaul included installation of new components in the cooling system; the introduction of the most advanced blast furnace control technologies; and partial replacement of the furnace shell. More than 550 tonnes of steel structures and 20 km of cables were replaced, along with components of the dust collector and charging device.

A drop in hot metal output during the overhaul did not affect Novolipetsk’s production schedule as the scheduled shutdown of the furnace was performed during maintenance of steelmaking operations.

In addition to BF-6, Novolipetsk operates four other blast furnaces: BF-3 (1.6 million tpa), BF-4 (2million tpa), BF-5 (2.9 million tpa) and BF-7 (4.2 million tpa). BF-7, commissioned in 2011, is one of the most productive blast furnaces in the world.