JSC Lebedinsky GOK, Gubkin, Russia:

V. V. Kondrashkin, HBI Works Director
A. V. Panarin, Deputy HBI Works Director of Production, panarin_a_v@lebgok.ru
Yu. A. Krymov, Deputy HBI Works Director of Technology

Metalloinvest Management Company LLC, Moscow, Russia:
T. V. Nikitchenko, Chief Specialist of Board for Technical Appraisal of Production Sustence and Modernization Projects

The advance of metallurgy in the world in the recent few decades features the high-rate growth of iron production by direct reduction. At the present time, Midrex technology prevails in this field. Many plants possessing such installations are concerned with the issues of the improvement of this technology. In 2014 Lebedinsky GOK accomplished stage-wise reconstruction of the system of cooling conveyors and the system of reformed gas production, which allowed enhancement of production output of the plant making metallized briquettes and enabled improvement of quality characteristic of finished products. This article describes problems revealed in the course of operation of the metallization plant at HBI Shop No. 2, which had negative influence on the plant efficiency. The results of modernization of cooling conveyors are reported. The anticipated efficiency due to replacement of reformer pipes is valued. The reconstruction of the system of cooling conveyors and the system of reformed gas production undertaken by specialists of Lebedinsky GOK, owing to the reduction in the unscheduled downtime and thanks to the enhanced reformer efficiency, has enabled the increase in the metallization plant capacity from 179.5 to 193 t/h of products with better quality characteristics.

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