Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works : MMK’s most powerful blast furnace turns 60

Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) celebrated the 60^th anniversary of the launch of its largest blast furnace, No. 9, which produced its first cast iron on 29 June 1964. At that time, it was the largest blast furnace not only in the Soviet Union but in all of Europe.

Installation of the gigantic, 60-metre-high assembly got under way in late July 1963. The construction of the blast furnace used the latest achievements in science and technology at the time. In particular, oxygen-enriched blast air with a temperature of up to 1,400 degrees and natural gas were used to intensify the smelting process, increasing productivity and considerably decreasing the cost of cast iron production while simultaneously lowering capital expenditures.

Like MMK's other blast furnaces, No. 9 has been overhauled and rebuilt many times. In the 21^st century alone, the blast furnace has been outfitted with a coneless, chute-type charging system, as well as closed cast-house chutes and hydraulic equipment used to open and close the tap hole.

Today, blast furnace No. 9 has a capacity of about 5,000 tonnes of cast iron per day. During its 60 years of operation, it has produced more than 90 million tonnes of cast iron.