The Zaporizhstal Steel Works as a part of Metinvest Group has completed an important environmental project such as modernization of gas cleaning systems of sinter machines No. 1-6. Investments in the project amounted to more than 1.2 billion UAH.
“We have reconstructed the gas cleaning systems of sinter machines No. 1-6 consecutively since 2012, under the conditions of the current production. During the development and implementation of the project, we were looking up to the most modern world experience: 95% of the gas cleaning systems installed at modern metallurgical plants in China, Japan, the USA and Europe use bag filters, which are the most effective cleaning method. This technology is also used for gas cleaning of the Zaporizhstal sinter plant”, said Rostyslav Shurma, CEO of the Works.
In April 2018, the Works completely finished modernization of the gas cleaning systems of sinter machines No. 1-6, which provide air purification from dust up to 30 mg/m3, for sulphurous anhydride below 400 mg/m3, which corresponds to European emission standards, and also allows step by step to reduce discharge of slime water from the sinter plant cycle.
“The new gas cleaning systems of the sinter plant will reduce dust emissions by 90%, emissions of sulfur oxides by 50%. The implementation of this decision enabled to fulfill its obligations to reduce the technogenic burden on the region. For Zaporizhstal it is a 100% ecological project, in which there is no economic component”, pointed out Rostyslav Shurma.
In the technology of air cleaning with bag filters, an exhauster is used that provides both air supply to the sinter machine for sintering the agglomerate and further transportation of contaminated air to bag filters. The process is made in such a way that shutting down the exhauster will lead to a stoppage in the production of agglomerate and loss of production. Stop of gas cleaning is possible only if the entire sintering machine is stopped for maintenance.
The automated control system of the technological process completely excludes the human factor. Operators in the control room make only control-monitoring function. Because of it, the specialists of the monitoring and control of gas cleaning have undergone specialized training concerning the standards of work on new environmental equipment.
Each sinter machine is equipped with emission control sensors, which in online mode, with discreteness in milliseconds, show the efficiency of gas cleaning equipment. The online monitoring system is not only the control of the final concentration of pollutant emissions at the outlet to the atmosphere, but also the possibility of operational management of the cleaning process, which ensures the reliability and efficiency of gas cleaning equipment operation.
Let us remind that in 2012-2017 Zaporizhstal invested about 8.8 billion UAH in environmental modernization. Among the main environmental projects of the Works there are complete ecological modernization of sinter plant with the construction of new high-efficiency gas cleaning systems on all six sinter machines, as well as large-scale reconstruction of blast furnace No. 4 with the installation aspiration system of casting yard and charging bay, construction of a new continuous pickling line in the cold rolling shop No. 1, and large-scale reconstruction of blast furnace No. 3. All new and reconstructed facilities of the Works are integrated into a unique system of visualization and online monitoring of technological processes “Enterprise in your hand.”