NLMK Implements Steel Production Upgrades
09/09/2010 - A second 4 million-tonnes-per-year ladle furnace has commenced production at NLMK’s main site in Lipetsk. NLMK is collaborating on this project with Siemens VAI (Austria) as part of Stage II of its Technical Upgrade Program.
A second high-capacity ladle furnace has commenced production at NLMK’s main site in Lipetsk. The company expects the 4 million tonnes-per-year ladle furnace operation to reduce refining costs, ensure maximum quality improvement, and boost output of new steel grades for automotive products, white goods, and tube manufacturing.
NLMK is collaborating on this project with Siemens VAI (Austria) as part of Stage II of its Technical Upgrade Program. The facility is intended for out-of-furnace treatment before slab casting by continuous casting machines. This past March NLMK commissioned a similar high-end production complex at the Lipetsk plant.
The total capacity of the two ladle furnaces amounts to approximately 8 million tonnes per year, serviced by 60 new employees. Investments into the construction of the two facilities has amounted to over RUR3 billion.
As part of its production upgrade, NLMK is planning to commission two more ladle furnaces with total capacity of 4 million tonnes per year at the Lipetsk production site in 2011. In total, these new facilities will be able to process about 12 million tonnes per year of steel.
NLMK notes that the advantage provided by these new production facilities involves the possibility to obtain ultra-low sulfur content of up to 0.001%. Fully automated process control and up-to-date fume extraction and gas cleaning system will result in an average 0.5% reduction of gross air emissions for BOF Shop#2.
NLMK is one of the world’s largest steel producers. The integrated steelmaking company produces pig iron, slabs, hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized, pre-painted, transformer, and dynamo steel. In 2008, the company sold its products to 70 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and produced 15% of Russia’s steel.
