Russian steelmaker EVRAZ has awarded Primetals Technologies a multi-million Euro order to supply the automation, electrical equipment and instrumentation for the new blast furnace number 7 at the company’s Nizhniy Tagil Metallurgical Plant (EVRAZ NTMK).

To reduce service costs, especially where future upgrades are concerned, the basic automation (level 1) and process optimisation (level 2) will be installed as a virtualised automation system on central, redundant servers.

The new process automation will also optimise coke consumption and is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of the year.

The contract includes the supply of automation, electrical equipment and instrumentation, says Primetals.

Blast furnace number 7 has a production capacity of 2.5Mt/yr of pig iron per and is intended to replace blast furnace number 6, which is scheduled for an overhaul.

With an annual production of 4.9Mt of crude iron and 4.2Mt of steel, EVRAZ NTMK is one of the largest steel works in Russia.

The integrated iron and steel works is located in the city of Nizhniy Tagil in the Swerdlowsk Region of the Urals and primarily produces train wheels, rails, structural steel, pipe blanks and semi-finished products. Nizhniy Tagil is one of Russia’s oldest steelmaking and mining centres.