Blast furnace 6 at Tata Steel Nederland in IJmuiden, Netherlands, is producing pig iron again. The furnace was fired up again after a last refurbishing. Firing up will take approximately one week.
The blast furnace has been on the site since 1967. It is one of the most efficient blast furnaces in the world. The last time that blast furnace 6 was completely refurbished was in 1985.
Another, smaller renovation took place in 2002. During the recent shutdown, the control systems, all the refractory material and the raw materials supply were replaced, among other things.
The refurbishing and renovation of the blast furnace is not only a major project, there is another reason why its timing is unique: “This will be the last time that we carry out such a large operation on a blast furnace”, says Tom Eussen, Managing Director at Tata Steel IJmuiden.
From 2030 onwards, the company will switch to producing steel without coke or coal. Blast furnace 7 will be the first of the two blast furnaces to be decommissioned, after which the company will switch to systems operating with natural gas and hydrogen. Blast furnace 6 will be decommissioned when Tata Steel Nederland enters the second phase of their green steel plan. This will probably take place around 2035.
With the renewed operation of blast furnace 6, the Tata Steel Nederland works are again running production at full capacity.
Direct improvements for the environment
Tata Steel also utilised the shutdown of the blast furnace to add several other optimisations. Just as with blast furnace 7, extraction hoods were installed. These suction off dust that is generated during tapping. From now on, filling the furnace will also be done using a different process which generates less dust. Lastly, covers that reduce dust emissions even further were added in the vicinity of conveyor belts and at other locations.
The measures introduced will further minimise the impact the blast furnace has on the environment. Measures to minimise dust exposure and other emissions when air is blasted into the furnace were also implemented.
