PROJECTS

ARCELORMITTALS
D BLAST FURNACE
REBUILD PROJECT
Due to the fact that the furnace
capacity was increased and the feed
system modernised, the scope of
work involved numerous
modifications to existing steelwork
to accommodate the new design.

The furnace during assembly.

ArcelorMittal awarded Grinaker-LTA Mechanical & Electrical the contract to
design, fabricate, supply, deliver and erect the new steelwork, platework and
welding of a new furnace shell modules for ArcelorMittal Steel South Africa
in Vanderbijl Park. The Blast Furnace 'D' Reline Project replaced the existing
furnace during a three month shutdown period and was carried out in situ.

project team

The contract was awarded in three separate packages and included the electrical and control instrumentation.

Developer / Owner
ArcelorMittal Steel South Africa Limited
Vanderbijlpark

Package 2 covered the transportation of the pre-manufactured shell sections

from the assembly area into the existing furnace tower.

Structural Engineer

Package 3 included the design, fabrication and erection of permanent and

Siemens Va1

temporary steelwork and platework including the off-gas ducting and new

Quantity Surveyor
Davis Langon

bustle main as well as the final horizontal welding of the five shell modules,
off-takes and uptakes.

Project Manager

Due to the fact that the furnace capacity was increased and the feed system

Arcelor Mittal Steel South Africa Limited

Vanderbijlpark

modernised, the scope of work involved numerous modifications to existing

Main Contractor
Grinaker-LTA Metals & Minerals

steelwork to accommodate the new design.

The erection and installation of the new steelwork had to be hand rigged into
position, which proved to be a challenge. Safety was always of paramount

Steelwork Contractor

importance and was a continuous concern, which involved safety personnel

Grinaker-LTA Metals & Minerals

on a full time basis.

Other Team Member

Ale Lastra-Heavy transport & lifting

Being a shutdown project, Grinaker-LTA Mechanical & Electrical worked on a 24

hour, seven-day week schedule to achieve the extremely tight programme. The
contract was awarded at the end of August 2006 and completed in June 2007.

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Steel Construction Vol. 32 No. 3 June 2008

PROJECTS
The mass of steel supplied was approximately 717
tons and platework about 310 tons. All were fabricated using grade ASTM A516 GR70 plate.
The original programme duration for this section
of the contract was 5 March 2007 to 4 April
2007 and the actual programme was 12 March
2007 to 11 April 2007.
The modules were assembled and welded by
other contractors some 200 metres from the
furnace building on elevated steel platforms
with sufficient clearance for the trailers to pass
underneath. The self-propelled trailers were
positioned beneath the platform and lifted clear
of the ground. The module was then driven to
the elevator local to the furnace building and
placed on the elevator.

STRAND JACKING
The circular modules had four anchor points
attached by means of lifting lugs. The strand
jacking/lifting units are mechanical tools with
cylinders activated by hydraulics and driven by a
power pack. The wire strands are high tensile
steel attached to the anchor points and the
lifting units. Four units, placed at a level on the
steelwork above the module to be lifted, raised
the module and were locked into position before
the next stroke was activated.

SKIDDING
Once the modules had been placed on the elevator
and raised to the elevation of the skidding beams, a
hydraulic push/pull cylinder was attached to the
skidding frame. By activating the cylinder, the
module was pushed horizontally into its final position and by means of the strand jack units, lifted and
subsequently lowered into position.
The trailers and all jacking/skidding equipment
was supplied and operated by ALE-LASTRA.

FABRICATION AND ERECTION

A decision was made to use manual metal arc
welding and 24 welders were employed per shift.
These welders were coded to this specification

Steel Construction Vol. 32 No. 3 June 2008

33

PROJECTS
and had achieved good results and productivity
on a previous contract of similar nature for the
same client.
The welding of one complete horizontal lasted
36 hours. The challenges were the confined
areas, the number of other contractors operating
in the immediate area, the changes in weather
temperature (extremely hot and cold conditions)
and maintaining very good results of nondestructive testing of the welds.
For the final erection and positioning of the
furnace shell, the shell modules were skidded,
lifted and placed in a sequence.
A close-up of the jacking/skidding procedure.

STRUCTURAL STEEL, OFF GAS

DUCTING AND RECEIVING HOPPER

cess of keeping all concerned informed of the tasks planned and control and
safety of all personnel.

Due to the fact that the client opted for a new

Access to the inside of the furnace was afforded to other contractors to

feed system to the furnace, the existing feed

install the staves and refractory material by means of an upper, lower and

skip was replaced with a twin conveyor feed.

moveable steel deck. The existing Tuyere level platform was demolished and

This resulted in major modifications to the upper

replaced. This entailed the supply and erection of steelwork and deck plates

tower steelwork and the supply of a new receiv-

to suit the new furnace shell and new elevation of the Tuyere belt. A new

ing hopper.

bustle main was fabricated and installed complete with the down legs and
hanger rods.

New supporting steelwork had to be fabricated

and installed at the 57m and 59m levels. To

A new hot blast main tie-in between the bustle main and the stoves was

accommodate the new system, major modifica-

fabricated and installed. The challenges were mainly affording access to

tions to existing floor steelwork had to be

following trades and therefore the deadlines had to be met. This was

carried out. Additional modifications included

achieved by working under extremely congested working conditions.

the outrigger crawl beam, existing box girders

had to be raised and reinstalled at a higher level,

A total of 200 000 man-hours were recorded with no LTIs and the workforce

upper tower floors and platforms modified to

on the contract peaked at 230.

suit the new furnace shell.

New stairways and walkways were installed to
suit the new configuration.
Because the steelwork was being installed into
the existing furnace tower, the material mostly
had to be hand rigged into position. This posed
problems due to the limited access and height
restrictions, and extensive use was made of
chain blocks and tirfors during the rigging
process.
This process again involved safety issues
and consequently rigging studies and safety
were of paramount importance. Communication
between all the contractors was an ongoing pro-

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Safety was paramount throughout the rebuilding of the furnace.