NLMK Group, Russian manufacturer of steel and HVA steel products, has started hot-testing the second pulverized coal injection (PCI) unit in its blast furnace operations at the main production site in Lipetsk (Novolipetsk).
The company started installing this resource-saving technology, which has only recently been introduced in Russia, at its Blast Furnace #4 with a capacity of approximately 2.1Mt of pig iron per year. In 2013, a similar unit was successfully installed at Blast Furnace #5 with a capacity of 3Mt of pig iron per year. As a result, over a third of Novolipetsk pig iron production capacities will be equipped with resource-saving PCI systems.
PCI technology involves co-injecting natural gas and fine coal particles into the blast furnace. Using pulverized coal fuel made from steam coals reduces gas consumption by 70–80% and coke consumption by 20–30%. Replacing expensive raw materials with cheaper alternatives (coking coals with steam coals) will reduce the cost of producing pig iron, a key feedstock for steel manufacturing. Moreover, the use of new technologies in coke and chemical operations has already allowed NLMK to obtain high-quality coke from domestically sourced inputs.
Approximately RUB 3.7B has been invested in the project, which involves equipping Blast Furnaces #4 and #5 with PCI systems.
