Long term high performance operation at Kwangyang blast furnaces

Abstract

Kwangyang has been operating five large size blast furnaces and K-1 BF was relined in March 2002 after finishing 15 years of operation successfully. To secure enough cast pig iron as one of countermeasures to a low HMR at the steelmaking process during the relining period, four other blast furnaces came to increase their productivity in advance, before the start of the K-1 BF long stoppage. Particularly, during the ultra-high productivity operation period from March to June, K-3 BF marked a new POSCO productivity record and a new silicon record simultaneously on May in spite of unstable sinter consumption due to the width extension of No. 1 & No. 3 sintering strands and 13 years furnace life. It was 2.76 t/day$\cdot$m³/IV in productivity and 0.15% in silicon level in pig iron. These remarkable records were based on some advanced Kwangyang BF know-how and recent developments like higher facilities reliability, optimum allotment of hot blast and oxygen, high sophisticated burden distribution control and special screening equipment of raw materials.