ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih’s Kryvyi Rih Mining and Metallurgical Plant (AMKR, Dnipro region) has completed an extended overhaul of blast furnace No. 6, which lasted 296 days and took place in difficult military conditions.
According to the company, the overhaul will increase the reliability of the furnace equipment, reduce operating costs, save energy, and help reduce the industrial environmental footprint.
The furnace has been repaired and is awaiting an order to put it into operation. The relevant documents are currently being processed. This is the first time that the sixth blast furnace has been repaired in the second category since 2015, when this metallurgical unit was reconstructed and environmental protection measures were implemented. In the period from 2015 to 2023, the blast furnace underwent only a few third-category repairs due to the replacement of the backfill apparatus and minor maintenance work.
It is specified that the main stages of this repair were the removal of residual charge materials and spent refractory lining, replacement of the charging apparatus, design lining of the blast furnace shaft, which used about 980 tons of refractory bricks, restoration of the furnace, and replacement of the cooling plates of the furnace shaft cooling system. More than half of the refrigeration plates – 364 pieces – have been renewed; these plates, as well as most of the other spare parts, were manufactured by LMZ specialists. The furnace shaft was lined by the specialists of Steel Service PE. Repair work was also carried out by contractors and repair departments of our enterprise.
“Restoration work was also carried out on the blast furnace hearth. The hearth is the lower part of the blast furnace where the smelting products – liquid iron and slag – are accumulated and where the devices for their release are located. When the blast furnace is in operation, the horn is exposed to high temperatures and considerable pressure, so it is important that it can withstand a heavy load – it must be strong and stable. During the repair, it was reliably restored with imported refractory materials,” explains Sergey Losyuk, Deputy Head of BF No. 1 for Mechanical Equipment.
In addition, BF No. 6 repaired the hydraulic equipment in the casting yard, the charge feeding system, and the blast furnace top. At the same time, the first category of air heater No. 2 was repaired. This will allow the blast furnace to maintain the required thermal conditions with maximum coke savings during operation.
A significant amount of work was done to repair the electrical equipment and automation of BF-6. The blast furnace’s aspiration units have been repaired to capture harmful emissions and help improve the environment.
“Military conditions affected the progress of the work. We had to solve logistical issues of delivering new materials and equipment. As for air raid alerts, we have all learned to work as safely as possible under the sirens. Nevertheless, we have accomplished everything we planned,” said Vladislav Polishchuk, head of DC No. 1.
Earlier, Mauro Longobardo, the company’s CEO, announced his intention to launch another blast furnace in April, and the plant will operate two blast furnaces, at about 50% of its pre-war capacity.
“ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest rolled steel producer in Ukraine. It specializes in long products, including rebar and wire rod.
ArcelorMittal owns the largest mining and metallurgical plant in Ukraine, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, and a number of small companies, including ArcelorMittal Berislav.
