Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Phat has announced that its Dung Quat Iron and Steel Complex produced one million mt of molten iron in August 2026, increasing by approximately two percent compared to July and by nearly 65 percent year on year.
According to the company, the production figure marks one year since all six blast furnaces at the complex began synchronized operations. The Dung Quat complex currently operates four blast furnaces with a volume of 1,080 m³ each and two with a volume of 2,500 m³ each.
Operational improvements support higher blast furnace production
Hoa Phat stated that the increase in production was supported by operational improvements, equipment upgrades and automation measures. The company has also worked to address bottlenecks affecting blast furnace productivity, particularly central airflow issues.
As part of these efforts, the air supply system has been adjusted to increase blast velocity and kinetic energy, while the burden charging model has been redesigned to distribute gas more evenly and improve the iron ore reduction process. According to Hoa Phat, these measures have enabled stable blast furnace operations even at production levels close to or above design capacity.
Blast furnace operating parameters optimized
The company has also optimized ore batch weights, increased blast furnace top pressure and adjusted the oxygen enrichment ratio, contributing to higher production and lower fuel consumption while improving utilization of existing equipment.
In addition, Hoa Phat has standardized raw material requirements for its blast furnaces and tightened quality controls for iron ore, coke and pellets, while continuing to improve coke stability.