Thyssenkrupp Closes Blast Furnace 9 in Duisburg for Modernisation

Thyssenkrupp has closed its blast furnace 9 located in Duisburg for 180 days to carry out modernisation and replacement of the equipment particularly the refractory lining and certain parts of the cooling system with an investment of €37 million.

During the shutdown of blast furnace 9, the company will operate its other blast furnaces 1, 2 and 8 in Schwelgern in full capacity. The company had planned the revamping and modernisation to happen sometime in 2014. But since the demand for flat steel products is currently low, the company plans to make use of this dull period for the modernisation process. Any short term supply will be met through the inventory already available and the other furnaces being operational.

As a start to the shutdown the furnace was first blown down and the charging of raw material was gradually reduced until the production of hot metal stopped. The air supply was also stopped gradually. The old refractory lining will be removed once the remaining hot metal is taken out. It is estimated that 2,400 t of refractory material with 1,900 t for the hearth and 500 t for the shaft area will be required for the new refractory lining. The modernisation work is likely to be completed by May 2012 after which the furnace will be fired up again. During the resumed operation of the furnace, the latest dust extraction system will be installed in the furnace to cut dust emissions. The casthouse will then be modernised along with the installation of a new elevator system. The blast furnace 9 will also be given a colour cladding similar to that of furnace 8.