Kametstal has resumed the operation of its main air distribution unit following a 50-day overhaul in Ukraine.
Unit tests conducted on December 28 confirmed passport capacity of 40,000 cubic metre (cbm) per hour of nitrogen and 35,000 cbm/h of oxygen.
As part of the work involving the AKAr-40/35 unit, 68 tonnes of zeolite and 33.6 tonnes of aluminum oxide were loaded into the cleaned and repaired adsorbers – highly dispersed materials for cleaning the air from moisture and carbon dioxide, which negatively affect productivity and quality of air distribution.
On December 26, the first post-repair oxygen was issued to the collector. AKAr-40/35 was put into operation, after which the power industry gradually put KAR-30 units in reserve.
The air pre-cooling system was cleaned and repaired, shut-off and regulating valves and switching valves were repaired and replaced at the complex cleaning unit.
Other measures included the repair of turboexpander units, replacement of pumping equipment, replacement of block and external pipelines.
Kametstal, formerly known as the Dnieper Metallurgical Combine (DMK), is a significant steel plant located in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine.
In February 2022, Metinvest, a prominent Ukrainian steel and mining group, acquired DMK and renamed it Kametstal. This acquisition integrated Metinvest’s coke production and steelmaking assets in Kamianske, enhancing the company’s production capabilities.
According to gasworld Business Intelligence, Ukraine operates 37 ASU production facilities in Ukraine.
Replacing coal as the primary heating source in steel furnaces with renewable energy will radically shift the centre of gravity of Ukraine’s steel industry from eastern regions towards western and southern ones and accelerate economic growth, according to a World Economic Forum paper.
The proposed new green steel mills will be situated near westward cross-border railway crossings and southbound Black Sea ports and optimal solar and wind energy sources.
“This will substantially increase demand for land and sea transport services, re-routing them towards Western/EU markets, but also create new demand for the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia as decarbonised fuel and for higher-grade iron ore and metal scarp inputs into steel-making itself,” it states.
