Title

ACTUAL STATUS AND FUTURE ASPECTS OF COKE AND IRONMAKING IN EUROPE

ACTUAL STATUS AND FUTURE ASPECTS OF COKE AND IRONMAKING IN EUROPE

Authorship

Lüngen, Hans Bodo; Schulte, Helmut

Lüngen, Hans Bodo

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Schulte, Helmut

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DOI

10.5151/2594-357x-0141

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Abstract

The integrated steel works in EU 27 operate most modern plants for the production of a wide variety of high grade steel products. The blast furnace/converter route will remain dominant within the EU 27 on a long term with a share of 60%. The basic pre- product for this route is hot metal from blast furnaces. Blast furnaces cannot be operated without coke and they are dependent on high grade coke supply. Many young and high tech coke plants are operated in Europe, but some are old and need lifetime enlargement measurements or revamping. The new batteries of the coke plant Schwelgern in Germany represent the most advanced state of development of the multi chamber system. This plant has by far the biggest coking chambers in the world. The European integrated steel works operate successfully blast furnaces at low reductant rates, high productivities and long campaign lives. This can only be achieved with the use of cokes having excellent properties, especially for the operation of large volume blast furnaces. The coke demand and supply balance of the EU was characterized by a steady decrease in available coke plant capacities since 1990 and a coke shortage since 2000 for the former EU 15. Poland is the main internal coke supplier for other EU 27 countries. The projects for new coke batteries or revamping of batteries will result in an enlargement of available coke capacity within the EU 27 from 2008 on. R&D in the EU 27 is amongst others focused on the reduction of CO2 emissions by the development of the oxygen blast furnace process. The use of excess coke oven gas for the production of DRI is an alternative option instead of power generation.

The integrated steel works in EU 27 operate most modern plants for the production of a wide variety of high grade steel products. The blast furnace/converter route will remain dominant within the EU 27 on a long term with a share of 60%. The basic pre- product for this route is hot metal from blast furnaces. Blast furnaces cannot be operated without coke and they are dependent on high grade coke supply. Many young and high tech coke plants are operated in Europe, but some are old and need lifetime enlargement measurements or revamping. The new batteries of the coke plant Schwelgern in Germany represent the most advanced state of development of the multi chamber system. This plant has by far the biggest coking chambers in the world. The European integrated steel works operate successfully blast furnaces at low reductant rates, high productivities and long campaign lives. This can only be achieved with the use of cokes having excellent properties, especially for the operation of large volume blast furnaces. The coke demand and supply balance of the EU was characterized by a steady decrease in available coke plant capacities since 1990 and a coke shortage since 2000 for the former EU 15. Poland is the main internal coke supplier for other EU 27 countries. The projects for new coke batteries or revamping of batteries will result in an enlargement of available coke capacity within the EU 27 from 2008 on. R&D in the EU 27 is amongst others focused on the reduction of CO2 emissions by the development of the oxygen blast furnace process. The use of excess coke oven gas for the production of DRI is an alternative option instead of power generation.

Keywords

Coke, IRONMAKING.

Coke, IRONMAKING.