Hyundai Steel installed the primary bleeder valve, which is 1.5 meters in width and 223 meters in length, at Blast Furnace No. 3 this January. (image: Hyundai Steel)
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Steel Co., South Korea’s No. 2 steelmaker, has developed the world’s first technology to fully block air pollutants emitted from blast furnaces, successfully introducing them to the actual steelmaking process.
The company said Tuesday it had installed clean gas valves for furnace shutdowns or re-feeding hot blasts to filter hazardous gas remaining inside the furnace.
Furnace shutdowns involve aborting the injection of hot air blasts into the furnace prior to maintenance. Re-feeding hot blasts involves re-injecting hot air into the furnace once maintenance is complete.
Hyundai Steel joined hands with a European engineering firm in March to resolve the issue of emissions following leaks of air pollutants caused by opening bleeder valves.
Following three months of technological review, the company successfully developed the world’s first clean gas valve that significantly reduces emissions, naming it the primary bleeder valve.
The company has submitted patent applications in Europe for the new technology.
Hyundai Steel installed the primary bleeder valve, which is 1.5 meters in width and 223 meters in length, at Blast Furnace No. 3 this January. After a successful test, the company installed the valves at all furnaces by the end of the second annual quarter.
The company succeeded in reducing emissions from Blast Furnaces No. 2 and 3 during re-feeding operations, using the primary bleeder valves.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
