Severstal has completed its seasonal program of major blast furnace overhauls at the Cherepovets Steel Mill (CherMK). Work was carried out while production continued. Following the repairs, blast furnaces No. 5, 3 and 2 were restored to their design specifications, the company’s press service said.
PHOTO SOURCE: Severstal.
Some units were repaired ahead of schedule. This helped reduce their downtime and provide additional pig iron to steelmaking operations.
“Despite challenging market conditions, we are consistently carrying out our maintenance program, which is designed to improve equipment reliability, production safety and environmental performance. For example, Severstal allocated more than 180 million rubles to its autumn series of major blast furnace overhauls in 2026. The campaign’s key project was blast furnace No. 3, which was brought back online ahead of schedule. While the unit was shut down, we repaired gas-cleaning equipment, including the cyclone dust collector, dome valves and pressure-relief cyclones, to ensure stable operation of the furnace gas system. We also replaced the lock-hopper feeders on the dust-collection bunkers, which ensure the continuous, sealed removal of captured dust from the bunkers,” said Evgeny Vinogradov, CEO of Severstal Russian Steel and Resource Assets.
During the repairs, specialists paid particular attention to the condition of critical components and to measures that could extend the time equipment operates between overhauls and reduce maintenance costs. At blast furnace No. 5, known as Severyanka, the steel protective elements of the bell-less top charging system were replaced with ceramic ones, and protective elements for the top gas valves were installed on the bunkers. Severstal employees and contractors also replaced the distribution chute, central pipe and compensator protection on the main water-cooled reducer, and repaired the gas, exhaust and filling valves. On the cast house floor, the drives for the iron runners were repaired, while individual pieces of equipment were replaced in the tuyere zone.
In addition, the smaller blast furnace No. 2 underwent a major overhaul. Specialists replaced the charging apparatus, the hot-blast stove throttle valve and the gas burner tee, inspected the skip hoist and refurbished its shafts and ore skips.