11 May ‘22

MMK Reduces Dust Emissions

Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works is actively implementing dust suppression systems as part of the Company's environmental programme.These units are effective in protecting employee health and in improving the ecological footprint in the city of Magnitogorsk.

Eight dust suppression systems and two snow generator turbines are currently operating in MMK's sinter cake preparation shop (SCPS). The first on-site dust suppression system was installed in the shop in 2018 in unit No. 1 at car dumper No. 5, and demonstrated proven efficiency of more than 70%. In summer 2019, a pilot project of two-stage dedusting was implemented at the same facility. Primary dust suppression occurs via the nozzle systems, which ensure dust spread being limited to the confines of the warehouse, thereby preventing dust carry-over when unloading material from the gallery with a height of about 20 metres. Secondary dust suppression is carried out by snow generators.

Such systems have not been used at the plant before, and the SCPS was the first to install two snow cannons for snowing and watering the warehouses. These cannons take data, including air temperature, wind speed and direction, from the local weather station installed at one of the congestions and use them in the programming of the generators. The dust suppression system is operated and monitored from the control station in round-the-clock mode. At subzero temperatures, the turbines generate snow, while at above-zero temperatures they moisten the surface of the warehouse, preventing the spread of dust by wind. This allows MMK to limit the spread of dust emissions to neighbouring areas at all seasons. At present, all the main warehouses of SCPS units 1 and 2 are fully equipped with dust suppression units.

Another location that generates large dust emissions is the coal preparation shop of MMK's coke-chemical production, which includes an open coal warehouse. The first dust suppression unit appeared there in 2018 on the stationary coal-preparation cars of the second block. The system proved to be efficient, so management decided to install the equipment in the dustiest points of the shop. In 2019, the Company installed a dust suppression system in the crushing compartment of the coal preparation shop’s second block. Today there are five dust suppression units operating in the coal preparation shop, which have significantly reduced coal dust emissions - in one transfer unit alone, according to environmentalists' measurements, the reduction amounted to as much as 200 tonnes per year. The unit achieved the declared efficiency of 80%, and certain areas showed an even higher result.

In addition, there is a dust control unit at each of the sheet rolling shops Nos. 4 and 10, as well as at the hopper rack of blast furnace No. 10. Thanks to the implementation of the dust suppression system, dust emissions at the hopper stage of blast furnace No.10 were reduced by 84%. Blast furnaces Nos.1 and 2 are next in line to get new dust suppression systems.

The installation of dust suppression systems is an important element of MMK's environmental programme aimed at reducing the Company's environmental impact, both at the production site and in Magnitogorsk as a whole.

 

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