CSC daughter company DSC’s blast furnace 1 at Taichung works will have its first major reline through this upgrade in 2025. For the modifications, the BF1 will be stopped and is projected to be restarted in the new configuration including the upgraded PCI technology later in 2025. DSC and SMS work together to achieve carbon neutrality. This project is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 2,865 tons/year.

Pierre Mahowald, Assistant Vice-President at SMS group in Luxembourg, explains: “This order from DSC is a consequence of the good results achieved after the 2020 BF2 PCI reline to Paul Wurth technology at their mother company CSC. We will execute this new order with the same commitment and are even expecting greater results as the present upgradation includes our well known Paul Wurth Dynamic Distribution, showing worldwide highest performances.”

During recent months, we have worked out together with Dragon Steel Corporation a solution to transform the existing dilute phase PCI system into a dense phase PCI plant with proven Paul Wurth technology. The upgrade from original technology to Paul Wurth technology has proven a technical challenge as this marks the first time that we will modify / upgrade a PCI system with dispensing vessel and downstream volumetric rotary feeder by replacing later one with a Paul Wurth fluidizing compartment. The global capacity of the plant will remain with two independent PCI streams. Each of the 32 BF tuyeres will be equipped with a double PCI lance.

The upgrade will considerably reduce the gas input into the blast furnace and thus lead to an improvement of coal combustion, resulting in a reduced coke rate. Additionally, the Paul Wurth Dynamic Distribution Technology, including a Gritzko™ coal flowrate control valve and a coal flow rate measurement device in each injection line, will enable higher injection rates due to a constant highest equal distribution accuracy around the BF. Ultimately, these effects will lead to a reduction of the DSC’s global CO₂ emissions and lower the company’s carbon footprint.

One of the most important requirements for reaching highest injection rates on a blast furnace is the injection of same amounts of pulverized coal into each tuyere. Simple static systems are not able to achieve this target in quality as well as over time. Paul Wurth has developed in 2000 the first Dynamic Distribution, by installing a Gritzko™ coal flowrate control valve and a coal flowrate measurement device in each injection line, combined with the necessary automation sequences and control loops. Up to today, we have installed this Paul Wurth technology worldwide on more than 50 new, respectively upgraded PCI systems.