On July 15 the blast furnace no. 2 at ArcelorMittal Poland’s Unit in Dabrowa Gornicza shall be stopped for a repair. The project will last 40 days and it will allow for the life extension of the furnace by 3-5 years. The cost of this investment amounts to PLN 85 m.
A blast furnace is often called the heart of a steel plant. This is where hot metal is made, which is then used for steel production. The preparation for the reline started as early as last year. All key parts and pieces of equipment have already been delivered to the plant.
– In order to be able to start the repair, we need to blow the furnace down and tap the salamander, i.e. the remnants of hot metal – explains Radosław Dziedzic, the reline manager. – But before we do this, we need to clean the hearth from the remnants of solid materials, such as hot coke.
The scope of the repair covers i.a. replacement of carbon blocks and cooling staves. Also the instrumentation of the blast furnace will be partly renewed and extended, which will allow for smooth control of the hot metal process.
– We are also going to improve the environmental footprint of this installation. Thanks to the cleaning of the furnace’s dedusting system its efficiency will increase – comments Geert Verbeeck, CEO and deputy chairman of the board of ArcelorMittal Poland. – Blast furnace repair is a huge and complicated undertaking. There will be a few hundred people working on the site for 40 days. I wish the project team the best of luck, and above all, safe work – he adds.
The repair will cost PLN 85 m and will allow the blast furnace to operate for the next 3-5 years. Blast furnace no. 2 is one of two furnaces operating at ArcelorMittal Poland’s unit in Dabrowa Gornicza.
