Switzerland-based ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, has announced that it has revamped the blast furnace (BF) at ArcelorMittal South Africa's Newcastle steelworks in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The revamping has helped to achieve a 12 percent increase in liquid iron production from the blast furnace, from 1.7 million mt to 1.9 million mt per year. During a shutdown last year, ArcelorMittal South Africa invested heavily in relining and refurbishing the sole blast furnace and renewed the control system at its Newcastle plant.