Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has signed contracts for the engineering and supply of equipment for the refurbishment of blast furnace No. 5 at the Cherepovets Iron and Steel Works.
The Netherlands-based engineering company Danieli Corus B.V. will provide the furnace casing and the cooling system equipment including the copper coolers. Paul Wurth S.A., the Luxembourg-based company, will provide the equipment for a bell-less top, slag granulation plant and the gas purification process. Both companies will supervise the commissioning and installation of the supplied equipment.
Alexander Shevelev, Chief Executive Officer of Severstal, said: “The fifth blast furnace has been operating for over 14 years and this refurbishment project is expected to double its lifespan. This is an ambitious project, which will require a variety of innovative technical solutions. Since the very first stages of design, we have been constrained by strict environmental regulation, which the engineering and equipment suppliers must also comply with. Industry leading technology will ensure that the refurbished blast furnace consistently performs at a high level, conserving resources and employing a fully automated and environmentally friendly process for the smelting of cast iron.”
As previously announced, this refurbishment will be the first in a series of large-scale renovations of the company’s fixed assets.
Shevelev added: “Severstal’s investment program is focused on the optimization of CherMK. Last year we modernized the 4-stand mill. This year we have begun working on the metal coating shop No. 3. Now we are focusing our attention on the iron conversion refurbishing Blast Furnace No. 5. With the project expected to require investment of approximately 30 billion rubles, this is the first large-scale renovation in this program.”
The investment during 2017 will be about 2% of the total cost of the iron-smelting complex reconstruction project. From 2018 to 2019, the plan is to build the auxiliary facilities at the complex. The main technological equipment and equipment for the automated control system will be installed in 2020. The work will be carried out by engineering and repair departments from specialist companies.
BF No. 5 is one of the world’s largest furnaces by volume. The design capacity of the furnace is more than 4 million tons per year. The unit provides for about 50% of the cast iron for CherMK. (Severstal/Ukrainian metal)
