Nov 7 2005
The blast furnaces in Gwangyang Works all achieved 204kg/T-P, the highest average rate of pulverized coal injection in the company, last October, greatly contributing to lowering ironmaking costs.
POSCO set a new record by achieving an average rate of over 200kg/T-P of pulverized coal injection for three consecutive months since last August. After facing intense competition with Japan and China to lower the production costs of hot metal, the achievement is significant since it represents a new method to reduce processing costs.
The First Blast Furnace made a new record last August by achieving an average rate of 225.5kg/T-P of pulverized coal injection, and the Second Blast Furnace injected 213kg/T-P of pulverized coal last October, only four months after the firing of its second unit. Such achievements show the world the advanced state of POSCO's ironmaking technologies.
The Ironmaking Department of Gwangyang Works has established the "CS (Cost Saving) 1000 Movement" and the "H2 (High Efficiency) Project" throughout all ironmaking processes this year to further develop its ironmaking technologies in reaction to China-based Bao Shan Steel & Iron Company's lowered costs.
Gwangyang Works is focused on the process of pulverized coal injection, which greatly affects the production cost of hot metal and is considered the key to establishing higher competence. The Works developed and applied the technologies of mixing coals with high heating value and injecting separately packaged coal for stable quality of sintering. As a result, POSCO has significantly increased the average rate of pulverized coal injection from 160kg/T-P to over 200kg/T-P.
POSCO has also reduced production costs by using cheap pulverized coal to supplement the shortage of cokes from China, and has reduced the operation ratio of cokes by increasing the injection of pulverized coal to stably produce high-quality cokes.
If the average rate of pulverized coal injection can be maintained over 200kg/T-P, the production costs of hot metal in blast furnaces will be reduced.
The Ironmaking Department of Gwangyang Works is already exceeding its target costs through its innovative cost-reduction movement "CS 1000," and will make constant efforts to solidify its world-class competence in low-production cost of hot metal through the use of highly pulverized coal.
http://www.posco.co.kr