BURNS HARBOR | ArcelorMittal will begin a $100 million reline of its 39-year-old "D" blast furnace at its Burns Harbor plant beginning Sept. 25, company officials said.
The long-postponed reline will take about two and a half months with its restart expected for mid December.
ArcelorMittal is relining the furnace "for improved safety, reliability, productivity and energy efficiency," according to a company statement.
The refractory brick in a blast furnace's interior is replaced during a reline. The brick absorbs the heat from the molten metal inside the furnace protecting its walls. Ideally, furnaces are relined every decade, industry experts say.
The "D" furnace, which produces 700 tons of hot iron daily, was built in 1969 and was relined in 1975, 1980, 1986 and 1991, according to the company. The furnace had been scheduled for a complete reline in 1998, but the financial conditions of Bethlehem Steel Corp., which owned it at the time, prevented the company from doing the work.
In October 2006, a large section of the steel hulled and brick-lined bustle pipe on the mill's blast furnace "D" ruptured, creating a 6-by-9-foot hole in its steel and brick shell and spewing pressurized 2000 degree air, graphite, steel and other debris into the surrounding area.
The explosion, which occurred on the top half of the pipe facing the furnace, seriously injured and burned three employees. Paul Gipson, president of United Steelworkers Local 6787, said Monday the reline is "overdue."
"That furnace is in horrible shape," he said. "They've done some mini-relines and a lot of patchwork, but it's at a point where it's dangerous."
Burns Harbor employees, contractors and engineering firms will be involved in the reline, with workers participating in repair and maintenance work, safety improvements and training for the modernized equipment, the company reported.
ArcelorMittal has nine blast furnaces at its U.S. plants and is big enough to take down the "D" furnace without creating any supply problems, Gipson said.
High steel demand during the second quarter coupled with the high cost of raw material created record steel prices in June and July. As demand declines into the fourth quarter, producers are cutting production.
