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NLMK Decommissions Two Coke Batteries, Restarts Sinter Plant

11/03/2008 - Novolipetsk Steel decommissions two coke batteries with a combined capacity of 1.04 million tonnes per year, and re-commissions a 3.7 million tonne/year sinter machine after a complete overhaul.

Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), Russia, has decommissioned its Coke Batteries No. 7 and No. 8, which have a combined capacity of 1.04 million tonnes per year.
 
NLMK said its shutdown of the batteries was prompted by lower demand for coke and steel products in domestic and foreign markets. These problems were compounded by the worsening quality of Russian coal, which caused faster degradation of the equipment.

The company has been upgrading its coke batteries as part of its Technical Upgrade Programme, having revamped four out of eight coke batteries on its main production site in Lipetsk since 2000. advanced dust-collecting units were installed in each of the revamped batteries.
 
The company selected Coke Batteries No. 7 and No. 8 for shutdown because of the significant level of equipment depreciation and their relatively high level of emissions per tonne of output. Originally commissioned in 1976 and 1977, the two batteries were scheduled to be decommissioned by 2011.
 
As a result of this shutdown, NLMK's total coke production volume will decrease by 124,000 tonnes, representing some 18% of the production volumes planned for the current year.

NLMK also recently announced the commissioning of its 3.7 million tonne/year Sinter Machine No. 3 after a complete overhaul. The upgrade will enable the company to increase blast furnace raw materials production by 75,000 tonnes/year.
 
The upgrade featured a number of modifications designed to expand the sinter machine’s capacity, including modification of the iron ore raw materials charging system, installation of additional equipment, and the extension of its operating area.  As a result the revamp, the sintering process will be accelerated, which will help to improve sinter quality and reduce the environmental impact of the process.
 
The project was implemented as part of Phase 2 of NLMK’s Technical Upgrade Program (2007-2011), which targeted increased crude steel output (from 9 to 12.4 million tonnes/year), 100% self-sufficiency in primary raw materials supply, and increasing finished flats output (from 5 to 9.5 million tonnes/year). This is the fourth and last machine at the sinter plant to have its iron ore materials charging system upgraded.