SSI injects £30m into steelworks

The plant, which is expected to come into operation later this year, will be built by Siemens VAI Metals Technologies to help increase efficiency.

According to Siemens, the injection of pulverised coal will reduce the coke consumption of the blast furnace, which in turn will lower costs on both raw materials and energy consumption.

The plant is expected to inject up to 235 kilograms of pulverised coal into the blast furnace for each tonne of hot metal produced.

Before injection, the coal will be dried and ground by a hot gas swept roller mill. This will be rated to produce 120 tonnes of pulverised coal per hour, making it one of the world’s most highly productive coal mills used with a blast furnace.

A pneumatic dispensing system will then inject pulverised coal into the blast furnace tuyeres. The injection rate can be varied from between 30 to 235 kilograms of pulverised coal per tonne of hot metal.

SSI hopes that the total energy consumption will be further reduced by using the offgases from the hot-blast stove in the drying and grinding plant.

The investment comes just weeks after steelmaking resumed at Teesside following a two-year absence.

In a blow to the North East manufacturing industry, Tata Steel mothballed the plant in early 2010. A year later SSI acquired it from Tata for around £400 million, rescuing it from closure.

It has been reported that many of the 1,600 workforce who lost their jobs two years ago have been re-employed by SSI.

Currently, 1,700 workers are employed at the site and this will increase to 1,800 during peak activity- close to the numbers of workers on site under the previous ownership.