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Mechel Commissions Modernized Reheat Furnace at Mechel Targoviste
Apr. 11, 2008 Mechel OAO has recommissioned the walking-beam heating furnace at the medium-section mill at its Mechel Targoviste Romanian subsidiary. The furnace had been reconstructed as part of that facility's production capacities modernization program planned for 2007-2011.
The reheat furnace modernization will reduce the facility’s reliance the obsolete blooming technology, as it begins to more completely utilize billets from the facility’s continuous caster, which was commissioned in March 2007 following its reconstruction.
The new equipment will also significantly increase the facility’s billet range. Continuously cast billets have been expanded to a maximum sector of 150 x 180 mm, compared with the previous maximum of 140 x 140 mm.
The modernized furnace will heat billets more evenly, thus improving the quality of the manufactured products. Fully automated, the upgraded furnace also will significantly reduce labor costs, and will enable more efficient consumption of natural gas, electric power, and refractories. The new equipment also will help to reduce production repair and maintenance costs.
Equipment for the walking beam reheat furnace upgrade was supplied by Techint (Tenova) of Italy, with most of the construction and installation work performed by Mechel Targoviste's specialists. Investments in the new project totaled about US$5.8 million.
Mechel, one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, unites producers of coal, iron ore, nickel, steel, rolled products, and hardware. Mechel products are marketed domestically and internationally.
The Mechel Targoviste facility manufactures carbon and low alloy steel rolled products as well as forged and calibrated products for machine building, automotive, hardware, bearing, and pipe producing industries.