Posted on 13 Jul 2017
NLMK Group, one of Russia’s leading integrated steel companies with international operations, and technology supplier Paul Wurth have started commissioning the pulverised coal injection (PCI) plants of Blast Furnaces No. 6 and No. 7 at NLMK’s main steelmaking site at Lipetsk in the central European part of Russia.
Recent press information released by NLMK stressed that this technology results in “a 30% decrease in the consumption of expensive coke and a 50% reduction in the consumption of natural gas” as well as “reduces the cost of pig iron production approximately by 5%”.
The PCI plants for Blast Furnaces No. 6 (yearly production: 3.1m tons of hot metal) and No. 7 (4.3m tons) have been part of an integral contract to Paul Wurth which covered the introduction of this resources-saving technology to most of NLMK’s ironmaking facilities over some years. At all furnaces, dense phase conveying systems with static distributors ensure accurate distribution of the pulverised coal over the hot blast tuyeres. The systems will operate at injection rates not less than 150 kg per ton of hot metal. For Blast Furnaces No. 6 and 7, the injection coal is being produced by two upstream coal grinding and drying plants rated at 75 tons/h each. Paul Wurth’s self-inertising process circuits ensure pulverisation with explosion prevention by design.
Besides of the design, supply of key components, instrumentation, automation and the traditional site supervision, Paul Wurth has supported NLMK and its local partners in engineering, construction and erection of the plant over the entire construction period. We are now jointly looking forward to ramping up to efficient ironmaking operations at the guaranteed injection level.
