The Kametstal Metallurgical Plant, part of the Metinvest group, will start major repairs of key production units — blast furnaces and ladle furnaces — from the second half of April. The company reports this information. According to the data, active preparatory work is being carried out at the repair sites of the Metallurgical Equipment Repair Shop (MERS) to ensure quality and timely repairs — teams of fitters and welders are performing a number of technological operations.
This is reported by Business • Media
Employees of the shop are directly involved in the upcoming repair work. Currently, preliminary assemblies of individual components and units of blast furnace No. 9, as well as the ladle furnace installation, are being conducted on specially equipped stands, which will significantly reduce the installation time during repairs. One of the key stages of preparation is the assembly of the charging device, which was delivered to MERS after restoration work at the Zaporizhzhia Foundry and Mechanical Plant (ZFMP). Additionally, preparations for the installation of a new gas lock are underway. Furthermore, work is being done to manufacture a trough for removing residual melting products from the furnace and to create special formwork for pouring concrete into the furnace.
Preparation for the Repair of the Ladle Furnace and Other Key Units
MERS employees are working on elements of the new arch for the ladle furnace. New cooling pipes with a diameter of 3.8 m are undergoing the rolling process at ZFMP, after which their installation and hydraulic testing will be conducted. Upon completion, the structure will be transported to the converter shop to begin major repairs. Preparatory work is ongoing at the production sites: electric winches necessary for replacing the charging device and cooling plates are being installed in the bosh section of the blast furnace. The use of about fifteen winches complicates the rigging work, thus requiring the use of special blocks.
According to Andriy Myronenko, the deputy director for service, many major repairs are planned over the next few months. He emphasized that preparations are proceeding as scheduled, and the company expects to meet the established deadlines. “Kametstal” is reducing costs by repairing equipment with its own resources, particularly by implementing technologies for restoring mobile equipment.