The renovation of blast furnace no. 2 in unit of ArcelorMittal Poland in Dąbrowa Górnicza has been completed. The investment worth over PLN 720 million, which began at the end of March included, among others, replacement of the coal lining in the hearth of the furnace but also the construction of a new cooling system and a modern blast furnace gas treatment plant. Thanks to this extensive modernization, the steel plant will also reduce its environmental impact including CO2 emissions by nearly 45,000 tonnes. tons per year.
During the modernization ArcelorMittal Poland implemented two research and development projects: a closed cooling system with an innovative radiator design and a modern and a pro-ecological, over 100 meters high blast furnace gas treatment plant.
- The scope of the investment was really "mighty". In addition to standard works, such as replacement of coal blocks or blast furnace armor cooling plates, we thoroughly modernized the dedusting installation of the cast house, built a new blast furnace loading system and modified nozzle sets and installed a new automation and process control system - lists Michał Kocot, manager of modernization of blast furnace no. 2. - Such major changes allowed us to achieve a number of benefits - mainly environmental which is important not only from the point of view of the company, but also our neighbors. The implemented technical solutions have once again increased the level of process safety of our installations - adds Radosław Dziedzic, head of the Blast Furnace Plant at the ArcelorMittal Poland steel plant in Dąbrowa Górnicza.
Thanks to the construction of a new cooling system for the furnace and the installation of heat exchangers, the company improved the efficiency of the process and reduced the addition of water in the cooling circuit of the nozzle sets by as much as 85%. The investment also allowed to reduce electricity consumption by nearly 400 MWh per year and reduce CO2 emissions by almost 45,000 tons per year and dust emissions - now over 18,000 tons of dust are recycled and reused in the process. The amount of by-products produced in the process has also decreased by as much as 70%. In addition, the noise level from the installation has also been significantly reduced.
- We are constantly striving to improve not only the efficiency of our processes, but also to reduce their environmental impact. The modernization of blast furnace no. 2 allowed us, among others, for more efficient use of cooling water or blast furnace gas, which is not wasted but reused as fuel - says Wojciech Koszuta, CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland. – We know perfectly well that investing in modern solutions and technologies will enable us to gradually move towards less and less emission-intensive steel production – he points out.
Start-up tests of individual elements of the installation began in the second half of July, and the blast furnace was "blown in" at the beginning of August. About 1,000 people worked on the construction site every day and nearly 50 external companies participated in the entire project. The safety of work and efficient communication with such a large group of people was possible thanks to the application, which one needed just to install on a smartphone.
- The biggest challenge for the renovation team was the organization and coordination of work, especially with such a high intensity of activities carried out in a limited area and in a strict time regime. However despite all these challenges, the renovation was carried out safely and successfully - comments Michał Kocot, manager of modernization. Thanks to the modernization, the installation will be able to operate for the next 15 years.
