Production of hot metal from Blast Furnace 6 resumed
Renovated Blast Furnace successfully commissioned
Blast furnace 6 on the Tata Steel Nederland site is once again producing pig iron. In the past week, the Blast Furnace has been 'fired up' again after its renovation. The blow-in took about a week.
Tata Steel Nederland has taken various measures to ensure Blast Furnace 6 produces fewer emissions than before at the site of Tata Steel in IJmuiden, the Netherlands. Just as in Blast Furnace 7, extractor hoods have been installed. Dust released during tapping is now extracted through these hoods. The oven will be filled in a different manner from now on as well, resulting in less dust being released. Finally, covers have been placed near conveyor belts and other places , further reducing dust emissions.
The measures will result in a further reduction of the impact of the blast furnace on the environment. Measures have also been taken to minimize dust and other emissions during the blowing-in process, which was carried out without any incidents occurring.
Efficiency
Blast Furnace 6 on Tata Steel’s site in Ijmuiden is one of the most efficient operating blast furnaces in the world. This means CO2 emissions per ton of steel are lower than almost all other blast furnaces in the world. Now with Blast Furnace 6 back in operation, the Tata Steel Nederland factories will be running at full capacity again. In recent months, Tata Steel has also taken measures at other locations on the site to process the flow of steel as clean and safe as possible.
A blast furnace is always in operation, which means that the furnaces are always filled and the hearth is always burning. When this process is stopped, the hot metal will solidify and blockages will occur in the furnace. After operating for about 20 years, the oven needed to be relined. This relining of Blast Furnace 6 is the last renovation of the blast furnace that Tata Steel Nederland carried out. From 2030, the company will switch to producing steel without coal or coke. Blast Furnace 7 will be the first to be replaced by installations that run on natural gas and hydrogen. Blast Furnace 6 will be decommissioned when the second phase of Tata Steel's Green Steel plan comes into effect. That is expected to be around 2035.