London, September 23, 2021

Primetals Technologies to supply new staves for blast furnace of ArcelorMittal South Africa in Newcastle

• Anti-bending technology will be installed
• Results in reliable, predictable production for the full campaign life of the blast furnace

ArcelorMittal South Africa has placed an order with Primetals Technologies to supply cast-iron staves for the blast furnace at the company´s Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal works. The new staves incorporate several key features like the well-proven fixing system which eliminates bolt pull-out, a common cause of over-stressing of the cooling pipes leading to failure and coolant leakage into the furnace, as well as a variation of the patented and established anti-bending solution. This eliminates premature failure of the staves by preventing of corner deformation due to thermal effects. The design will result in a reliable, predictable production for the full campaign life of the blast furnace. Equipment will be ready to be shipped to the Newcastle site by mid-September 2021. ArcelorMittal South Africa are planning to install the staves in the second quarter of 2022.

The Newcastle Works, located in the northern part of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province, is the country’s foremost supplier of profile products. The single blast-furnace-based plant has the capacity to produce 1.8 million metric tons per annum. The profile products produced include low and medium-carbon commercial grades, low-carbon rimming steel substitutes, Sulphur containing free-cutting steels, micro-alloyed steels, high-carbon wire-rod steels and low, medium and high-alloy steels. Primetals Technologies previously supplied copper staves to ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Vanderbijlpark Works.

Primetals Technologies´ scope includes the engineering and supply of 5 full rows of cast-iron staves including refractory inserts, fixtures and fittings. ArcelorMittal South Africa is responsible for installing the staves.

3-D image of cast-iron stave from Primetals Technologies

Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.