The Kametstal plant, part of Metinvest’s mining and metallurgical group and established at the facilities of the Dniprovsky Metallurgical Plant (Kamenskoye, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast), is carrying out a third-class overhaul of blast furnace No. 9 in the plant’s blast furnace shop.
According to the company, the upgrades are being carried out in “blitz” mode, which will ensure long-term reliable operation of the equipment and stable fulfillment of production targets.
It is noted that among the key tasks of the overhaul is the replacement of equipment that can only be repaired or replaced while the blast furnace is shut down. Specifically, this involves replacing the small cone of the rotating charge distributor of the furnace charging device, manufactured by Metinvest Machinery’s partners. The assembly and installation of the unit are being carried out by specialists from the Kametstal metallurgical equipment repair shop.
Repairs are also being carried out in the casting yard, where components and parts of the cast iron tap gate opening and closing mechanisms, charging equipment, the air heater and dust collector units are being replaced, and where electrical and power equipment in all furnace sections is being inspected and repaired by specialists from the equipment repair shop.
“The overhaul of DP-9 is a crucial stage of this year’s maintenance program for the blast furnace shop. It is aimed at maintaining reliable and stable furnace performance, upon which the fulfillment of production plans and the operational efficiency of the entire division directly depend,” the company’s statement notes.
“Kametstal” was established on the basis of PJSC “Dniprovsky Coke Chemical Plant” (DKHP) and PJSC “Dniprovsky Metallurgical Plant” (DMP). The plant is part of the “Metinvest” group.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its facilities are located in Ukraine—in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions—as well as in European countries. The holding’s main shareholders are the SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.
PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) has signed an agreement worth almost $30 million with the Chinese company CISDI for the modernization of the largest blast furnace (No. 9).
According to a press release of the company, the contract includes the development of engineering, the supply of basic equipment, its installation, supervision and training of the metallurgical plant’s personnel.
It is noted that the company has four blast furnaces, of which DP-9 is the largest one, its useful volume exceeds 5,000 cubic meters. It produces about half of all pig iron at the steel plant and is still considered one of the largest in Europe.
The modernization of the furnace will increase its productivity to 10,000 tonnes of pig iron per day using the existing raw materials and up to 12,000 tonnes using sinter and pellets. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plans to produce pellets after the construction of a pelletizing plant (the declared capacity is 4.5-5 million tonnes per year). Both projects are the key ones in the enterprise’s investment program for the renovation and construction of production facilities.
