The official inauguration of the by-products department took place on 19 May in ArcelorMittal’s Zdzieszowice coking plant. Equipment in the by-products department is used to clean coking gas which is generated in the coal carbonisation process. The gas is captured from the plant’s coke batteries and then cleaned to create an industrial fuel that is then used internally to heat the coke batteries and power plant, as well as being transferred to external users.
The modernisation of the by-products department started in 2013. The scale of the project, the need to shut down and demolish some installations due to changes in technology – as well as the fact that the project was carried out in the immediate vicinity of operating installations – was a real challenge for all parties involved.
“The main goal of this project is compliance with European Union air emission regulations, well in advance of the stringent new regulations which will become mandatory from autumn 2018. Modernisation works were carried out as per the plan and were concluded two years before the legally required deadline,” said Czesław Sikorski, member of board of directors of ArcelorMittal Poland, and chief operating officer of coke production and special projects.
The new installations built at the by-products department include: deacidification-distillation columns, a new catalytic ammonia decomposition reactor, Claus installations and catalytic ammonia decomposition lines.
Key numbers from construction site:
· 51 kilometres of new pipelines;
· 108 kilometres of cables;
· 2110 tonnes of steel construction.
As part of the modernisation, the sulfuric acid plant was shut-down, which contributed to the overall reduction of emissions from the by-products department. The ammonia saturation plant was replaced by a hermetic scrubber and the process water treatment system was modified.
“Apart from the environmental benefits, the installation will also improve the working conditions of employees and contribute to upgrading the technological process. The total amount of investment is 205 m PLN,” added Czesław Sikorski.
Modernisation projects worth over PLN 800 million have been carried out at the coke plant in the past decade.
