ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor blast furnace to go offline for maintenance
September 17, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
BY ANDREA HOLECEK | Source: NWI Times
ArcelorMittal will begin a $100 million reline of its 39-year-old “D” blast furnace at its Burns Harbor plant beginning Sept. 25, company officials said.
The long-postponed reline will take about two and a half months with its restart expected for mid December.
ArcelorMittal is relining the furnace “for improved safety, reliability, productivity and energy efficiency,” according to a company statement.
The refractory brick in a blast furnace’s interior is replaced during a reline. The brick absorbs the heat from the molten metal inside the furnace protecting its walls. Ideally, furnaces are relined every decade, industry experts say.
The “D” furnace, which produces 700 tons of hot iron daily, was built in 1969 and was relined in 1975, 1980, 1986 and 1991, according to the company. The furnace had been scheduled for a complete reline in 1998, but the financial conditions of Bethlehem Steel Corp., which owned it at the time, prevented the company from doing the work.
Read more about D Furnace’s history, how reline will affect Burns Harbor operations at the NWI Times >>
