Johannesburg, South Africa, 07 June 2016 – Tenova Pyromet announced today that Furnace MW#1 of the KCC GP1 project at its Gimcheon Plant in Seoul, Republic of Korea, has been operating successfully since switch-in, on deadline, in November 2015, reaching full production capacity at the end of December 2015. Furnace MW#2 was commissioned and switched-in in mid-April 2016. KCC’s Gimcheon plant is Korea’s largest plant for the production of high-performance, inorganic insulation materials.
KCC Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd awarded the contract for supply of the mineral wool facility to Tenova Pyromet in April 2014, with the contract due to be completed in October 2016. With the project consisting of two electric arc furnaces, Tenova Pyromet supplied their latest furnace technology to modernize KCC’s mineral wool production facility, reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. A Greenfield project, this world class and fully-automated facility is the first mineral wool project for Tenova Pyromet in the Republic of Korea and follows a major mineral wool project in the USA.
The scope of the equipment supply project, which met all deadlines throughout the approximately two year duration, covered design, supply, supervision and process and equipment guarantees for the complete furnaces, the power supply and automation systems. This included all necessary planning, technical design works, procurement, manufacturing, delivery to site and technical services during installation, commissioning and start-up. In order to optimize cost effectiveness without compromising on the stringent, world-class quality standards of Tenova Pyromet, a global approach was taken to the manufacturing of equipment.
At the core of the project is the Tenova Pyromet electrode system, considered to be a benchmark in the industry. The functionality and performance benefits of the electrode system have been proven in many applications over the years.
The new facility is also equipped with Tenova Pyromet’s Autofurn® furnace controller and process optimization software. By automating the process and maintaining the required furnace power and electrode resistances or currents, the controller brings consistency to an operation, optimizing power input to the furnace, whilst safeguarding electrical equipment against overcurrent situations and minimizing furnace trips, downtime and damage to the equipment.
“This project has again demonstrated Tenova Pyromet’s leading technology and process experience, particularly in specialized smelter projects, as well as its position as a major global player in the furnace industry,” says Chris Oertel, Managing Director of Tenova Pyromet. “Despite extreme weather conditions and the language barrier, we delivered successfully on our commitments as per contracted deadlines, meeting all safety and regulatory requirements of both KCC and the Republic of Korea.”
These requirements included implementation of the KCC safety programmes, with zero lost time injuries during the project, and complying in all aspects to the environmental regulations of the Republic of Korea and the country’s KESCO (Korea Electrical Safety Corporation) certification for electrical and instrumentation equipment.
Tenova Pyromet is a leading company in design and supply of high capacity AC and DC furnaces and complete smelting plants for production of ferroalloys, base metals, slag cleaning and refining. Tenova Pyromet also designs and supplies equipment for material handling and pre-treatment, alloy conversion and refining, granulation of metal, matte and slag, furnace off-gas fume collection and treatment, and treatment of hazardous dusts and waste. Tenova Pyromet has several technologies to reduce operating costs and increase production efficiencies.
Tenova is a leading supplier of technological solutions and engineering services for the metals and mining industries, including key segments of the metallurgical process as well as in the mining value chain. Combining innovative engineering with process and automation expertise, Tenova delivers a full range of value-add solutions from greenfield projects, equipment and technology solutions to modernization upgrades and service packages. Passion for technology and a commitment to understanding needs of its global customer base are the key drivers of Tenova’s business operations.
For more information visit www.tenovagroup.com