UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 17, 2017. EVRAZ West Siberian Integrated Metallurgical Works (ZSMK) competed the overhaul of their Blast Furnace 2. This is expected to increase the furnace productivity, ensure longer time between repairs, and reduce the furnace’s environmental impact. EVRAZ Holding spent some 1bn RUR on the overhaul, the company press service reports.

‘We had the furnace casing partially replaced, the cooling units fully reconstructed, and the firebrick lining of the furnace, the tuyere area, and the tunnel renovated. The furnace-charging appliances were repaired as well. All this will ensure the furnace’s unfailing performance. Special attention was paid to the environmental aspect of the jobs: we had the cast house equipment and the stove block repaired and the ventilation system upgraded so as to reduce the furnace’s harmful effects and improve the working conditions on site,’ the press service says.

The company also gave an overhaul to its Blast Furnace 1 last year, and is planning to have Blast Furnace 3 repaired in 2018. Put together, the three furnaces provide 8,000 m3 of effective volume and are used to produce 6,000,000,000 kg of pig iron a year.