Upgrading the main equipment of the first technological stage of steelmaking is among Metinvest Group's priority tasks. Currently, Kamet-Steel is carrying out a large-scale overhaul of the sintering machine No. 9.
Repair works are being conducted daily on each section of the Kamet-Steel's machine. Contractors and specialists from the enterprise's repair shops, together with colleagues from all services of the repair shops, are upgrading key unites and components of the equipment, as well as conducting thorough inspections of the operating equipment to extend its service life.
Among the key tasks of the overhaul is the upgrading of the sintering machine's equipment complex: complete replacement of guide devices, stone-cast blocks of the multicyclone, and dust hoppers. Dismantling works have already been completed here, and specialists have begun installing the main units.
Comprehensive upgrading of the sintering machine's mechanical equipment is also among the top priorities: the sintering belt, repair of pallet cars, square seals, rails for working and idle runs of the machine. Special attention is being given to repairing vacuum chambers and eliminating harmful air leaks. This kind of work will enable to improve the sintering machine's productivity and the quality of the produced sinter.
In the complex of repair works on the electrical equipment of AM-9, among the most important is the replacement of the exhauster motor; significant volumes of cable and wire products together with control panels will also be upgraded. Some obsolete starting drives for electric motors will be partially replaced with frequency converters.
Andrii KOROSTIEIEV, Deputy Head of the Sinter Shop for Engineering at Kamet-Steel, commented:
"In recent years, this is the largest overhaul in terms of scope and significance of works. Following its completion, we expect increased productivity of sintering machine No. 9, extended service life of mechanical and electrical equipment, as well as minimisation of its emergency downtime. We are working as a team and looking for ways to cut costs by restoring some of the machine's equipment. In particular, 120 pallet cars were repaired at our request in the metallurgical equipment repair shop. The exhauster motor was restored in advance by our specialists from the equipment repair shop. We are also successfully cooperating with our ZCMW partners, who are repairing gearboxes at their facilities at Kamet-Steel for replacement on the main drives of sintering machine No. 9. Currently, seven units of this equipment are in the professional hands of our colleagues."
