MIDREX® Plants with 4th Quarter Anniversaries

This issue of Direct From Midrex recognizes the start-ups of Oskol Electrometallurgical Kombinat (OEMK) I in Stary Oskol, Russia (40 years) and Tosyali Algerie in Bethioua (Oran), Algeria 1 (5 years).

Oskol Electrometallurgical Kombinat (OEMK) I started 40 years ago in 4Q.

Location:
Stary Oskol, Belgorod Region, Russia

DR Process:
MIDREX®

• Start-up: December 1983
• Flowsheet: MIDREX Flex^TM
• Product: CDRI
• Rated Capacity: 0.42M t/yr

Modifications:

• Oxide coating
• Oxygen injection
• Thin wall refractory
• 250mm reformer tubes
• Heat recovery upgrade

The Ministry of Foreign Trade of the former USSR and a group of West German companies signed a joint venture agreement in 1974 to establish an integrated metallurgical complex in Stary Oskol, near the vast iron ore resources in the Kursk area. Oskol Electrometallurgical Kombinat (OEMK) would be based on direct reduced iron (DRI) via the MIDREX Process and electric arc furnace (EAF) steel production. Construction began in 1978, and the first products, oxidized pellets, were produced in 1982. DRI production began with start-up of the first of four MIDREX Modules in 1983, and the first steel was produced by the EAF melt shop in 1984. OEMK has been a part of Metalloinvest Holding since 2006.

Cumulative DRI production by OEMK’s four MIDREX Modules, which started production between 1983-1987, is more than 82.2 million tons. OEMK I alone has accounted for more than 23 million tons of the total, with metallization averaging 94.2% and annual operating hours averaging close to 8,000.

Tosyali Algerie Module 1 was started up five years ago in 4Q.

Location:
Bethioua (Oran), Algeria

DR Process:
MIDREX®

• Start-up: November 2018
• Flowsheet: MIDREX Flex^TM
• Product: HDRI/CDRI
• Rated Capacity: 2.5M t/y

The Tosyali Algeria iron and steel complex is located in the industrial zone of Bethioua, 40 km east of Oran, covering 4 million square meters with easy access to the Mediterranean Sea. The integrated works includes a 4 million tons/y (Mt/y) pelletizing plant, 2.5 Mt/y MIDREX Combination (HDRI/CDRI) Plant, 3.7 Mt/y EAF melt shop, 2.3 Mt/y continuous casting machine, and 4.0 Mt/y rebar & wire rod rolling mill. When the fourth development phase is completed in 2024-25, Tosyali Algeria will add a second 2.5 Mt/y MIDREX Plant capable of operating with increased percentages of hydrogen. HDRI will be fed via a hot transport conveyor to a new 2.4 Mt/y EAF melt shop with downstream facilities to produce flat products.

In 2020, its second full year of operation, Tosyali Algerie set the world record for annual DRI production (2,233,444 tons) and bested it in 2021 (2,285,123 tons). Other significant achievements include:

• Monthly production of 227,739 tons (November 2022)
• Hourly production of 316.3 tons (November 2022)
• 1000+ hours of continuous operation achieved four times
• 2000+ hours of continuous operation achieved two times
• Almost 8.4 million tons produced since initial start-up (November 2018)
• Average metallization 93.7%