[Ferro-Alloys.com] Mechel PAO (MOEX: MTLR, NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports launching an upgraded furnace at Bratsk Ferroalloy Plant. The upgrade boosted the ferroalloy ore-smelting furnace’s capacity from 25 MVA to 33 MVA. This will enable the plant to increase the furnace’s output by 40%. Investment totaled approximately 1.1 billion rubles.

 

Bratsk Ferroalloy Plant’s four furnaces are its key production facilities. They produce ferrosilicon which is used by steelmakers for steel smelting and is marketed domestically, internationally and to Mechel Group’s own subsidiaries.

 

As part of the ore-smelting furnace #3’s upgrade, its old equipment was entirely dismantled, a new ferroalloy-smelting bath with refractory brickwork was installed, the dosage batching system was modernized, and an automatic technical process control system was installed — the furnace’s work is now fully computer-controlled with all its measurements shown on monitors. The furnace will produce ferrosilicon of FS65 and FS75 grades in turns.

 

The upgrade also involved gas cleaning systems, with steps taken to collect taphole gases into the existing gas cleaner equipped with bag filters. Thanks to these measures, the furnace’s increased production capacity will not bring up its impact on the environment. As part of the upgrade, the reverse in-plant recycling system was renovated, with 1,200 m of the furnace cooling circuit replaced. The plant also reconstructed its electric substation and replaced two transformers.

 

“The ore-smelting furnace #3’s technical upgrade became the second stage of Mechel Group’s large-scale project of modernizing its ferroalloy production facilities, which began with upgrading the furnace #4. The launch of yet another upgraded facility will significantly improve the plant’s efficiency while bringing down its environment impact and production costs due to decreased specific power consumption,” Mechel PAO’s Chief Executive Officer Oleg Korzhov commented. （Mechel）