Ferrous Metallurgy Enterprises Research Articles

Making Development Programs with Multipurpose Projects at Enterprises of Ferrous Metallurgy

Making Development Programs with Multipurpose Projects at Enterprises of Ferrous Metallurgy

Assessment of a Metallurgical Plant Impact on the Sea of Azov

Ferrous metallurgy enterprises have a negative impact on the air, soil, and water environment. The activities of metallurgy enterprises include a wide range of production processes (from the extraction of metals from ores to obtaining finished products) and is associated with the formation of a large amount of waste. Industrial wastewater discharge is the main source of aquatic area pollution. An assessment of the impact of wastewater discharged from the Azovstal Iron & Steel Works metallurgical plant on the state of the coastal waters of the Sea of Azov near Mariupol (Ukraine) is presented in the article. The assessment was carried out in accordance with the current Ukrainian legislation and the adopted methodology for water state assessment. The assessment was based on the available monitoring data of sea water in the area of wastewater discharges in the period 2016–2020. The assessment was carried out using the aggregated numerical indices, as well as taking into account the “limiting criterion principle”. Such a methodological approach allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the sea water quality class as well as its sanitary and ecological condition. The results of the assessment allowed us to ascertain the negative impact of industrial wastewater from the metallurgical plant on the coastal zone of the Azov Sea, which made it unsuitable for communal and recreational purposes.

DIGITALIZATION OF THE WORK OF METALLURGICAL ENTERPRISES AS THE BASIS OF THEIR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Modernization of industrial enterprises in order to increase their financial performance is one of the primary tasks of any state. One of the decisive success factors for the sectors of the national economy is the use of digital technologies. The article substantiates the relevance of digitalization of ferrous metallurgy enterprises, clarifies the specifics of these processes for this industry, identifies and characterizes the main problems and obstacles to digitalization of domestic and global enterprises in the metallurgical industry; revealed their digital potential, quantitative and qualitative capabilities; the value chain of a digital metallurgical enterprise has been investigated. A holistic approach to large-scale digital transformation of the business model of a metallurgical enterprise is characterized.

Improving the efficiency of emergency control systems for future-oriented connection of sources of distributed generation

Improvement of energy-intensive technological processes of industrial enterprises requires increasing the reliability and efficiency of power supply of consumers. In this regard, one of the priority areas associated with introduction of the sources of distributed generation is mainstreamed in energy industry. This trend has both beneficial and negative impacts. It makes difficult to control normal, emergency, and post-emergency modes of power supply systems of enterprises of ferrous metallurgy. When new sources of distributed generation are introduced under the conditions of complex closed-loop power supply system, it is necessary to assess the level of short-circuit currents to check the electrical equipment and residual voltages across the busbars of the consumers of ferrous metallurgy. Also, it is necessary to determine the critical time of generators dropping and evaluate the stability in case of isolated operation. An algorithm has been developed for automated search of a dividing point in case of an emergency and isolated operation depending on the power balance to maintain stability. It is based on a combination of the method of successive network reduction and step-by-step method. To improve the reliability of essential consumers, the authors have developed an algorithm for automatic search for the dividing point during operation of emergency control system depending on the power balance to maintain stability. The authors have developed proprietary software to assess the effectiveness of emergency automation equipment of multi-level complex closed-loop power supply system of metallurgical enterprise. Performed calculations and analysis of emergency and post-emergency modes are designed to develop a comprehensive approach of a set of measures to ensure the reliability and stability of essential consumers in the mode of automatic search.

ОПЫТ ВНЕДРЕНИЯ ЭНЕРГО- И РЕСУРСОСБЕРЕГАЮЩИХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ В СИСТЕМАХ ЭЛЕКТРОСНАБЖЕНИЯ МЕТАЛЛУРГИЧЕСКОГО ПРЕДПРИЯТИЯ

Abstract. The article considers a set of scientific approaches and technical measures aimed at improving the ef-ficiency of power supply to ferrous metallurgy enterprises, currently being designed by the scientific schools of the Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University together with PJSC “Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works”. The principles of the formation of mathematical models for energy consumption, the basics of their optimization, as well as practical issues of rationing and planning energy consumption and operational management of the energy economy are de-scribed herein. The study offers examples of the implementation of energy-saving measures at own factory power plants, as well as at such energy-intensive facilities as arc steelmaking furnaces and rolling mills. The experience of PJSC “Mag-nitogorsk Iron and Steel Works” with regard to the introduction of modern automation tools in the energy sector and pow-er supply systems within the framework of the promising development program “Industry 4.0” is presented.

The influence of fuel and energy systems on atmospheric air pollution by enterprises of the metallurgical and machine-building complex

Currently, billions of tons of industrial waste from ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises have accumulated in Russia. Ferrous metallurgy is one of the most environmentally dirty industries. The history of the environmental problem of the city of Nizhny Tagil, goes back to the beginning of the creation of the mining industry of the Urals. The development of mining, chemical, metallurgical production, mechanical engineering is formed by the increasing pressure of anthropogenic factors on the environment. Emissions of industrial enterprises, energy systems and transport into the air, at the present stage of the development of science and technology, have reached such a size that in some areas, especially in large industrial centers, pollution levels are several times higher than permissible sanitary standards.

Оцінки екосистеми в найбільш забруднених регіонах України та прогнозування стану довкілля

The article considers the method of assessing the ecological condition of the territory of the Zaporozhye region, under the influence of negative factors of different nature. Zaporizhzhia region is one of the busiest regions in terms of industrial potential, which is due to the presence and concentration of enterprises of ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, thermal power, nuclear energy, chemistry, and mechanical engineering. The region is a leading center of domestic aircraft engine construction, production of transformers and other high-tech products. According to the dynamics of pollutant emissions in Zaporizhia and the region, the largest contribution to air pollution in the Zaporizhia region (60-70%) is made by pollutant emissions from stationary sources of PJSC «Zaporizhstal», PJSC «Dniprospetsstal», PJSC «Ukrainian Graph» and others. Moreover, a significant part of industrial enterprises are located almost in the center of residential buildings, which forms the main man-made load on the environment of settlements. The main air pollutants in the region are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, thermal power, chemistry, and mechanical engineering, which account for almost 90% of emissions from the total amount of pollutants in the region. The purpose of the presented work is a method of assessing the ecological condition of the territories of the Zaporozhye region. To achieve this goal, an integrated criterion for assessing the ecological condition of the territory was developed. The table of risk indicators and health index for air quality is given, the data of which were compared with the calculations of total air pollution.

Global climate challenges, structural shifts in the economy and the development of initiative-taking strategies by businesses to achieve carbon neutrality

Working with trends reflecting the ongoing aggravation of the climate situation, the authors evaluate countermeasures taken at the interstate and national levels, as well as those implemented by large businesses in priority sectors that are important emitters greenhouse gases. In this context, the article makes several points. First, it provides an overview of legal regulations implemented at the interstate and state levels aimed at preventing and minimizing adverse climate change. Second, the authors examine the impact of climate challenges and new regulatory mechanisms on sectors of the modern economy that are a priority for achieving carbon neutrality, as well as on businesses operating in these sectors. This includes analyzing ESG strategies and ratings of companies, as well as rating-related failures in solving problems of the climate agenda. Third, using the example of ferrous metallurgy enterprises, the article examines decarbonization strategies implemented by business and conducts a comparative assessment of them as one means of achieving carbon neutrality. Special attention is paid to systematizing existing and projected tools for the decarbonization of production and technological processes in the steel industry, an assessment is made of their technological maturity, as well as the impact on increasing the product cost and the possibility of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The authors propose ways to further refine the mechanism of climate regulation in Russia, as well as methods for selecting proactive business strategies that provide an effective solution to the problems of decarbonization and achieve sustainable competitiveness in the context of the structural restructuring of the modern economy.

Assessment of the impact of chemical pollution of ferrous metallurgy enterprises on forests using satellite photographs

The considered operating ferrous metallurgy enterprise uses three different technological modes of steel smelting, each of which is characterized by an individual composition of the ingredients of chemical pollutant emissions into the atmosphere affecting the state of the forest areas around this enterprise. Based on the decoding of satellite pixel photographs of forest areas, the technological mode with the least impact on forest areas was determined. It corresponds to the condition of the minimum area of ecological zones around the ferrous metallurgy enterprise. The authors propose an assessment of the impact of chemical pollution of ferrous metallurgy enterprises on forests in the form of areas of ecological zones of the state of forest vegetation and the volume of biomass in its various parts. The mosaic of ecological zones of forest areas is determined from their satellite pixel photographs using an original algorithm of “controlled cluster analysis”. The main recommendation for ferrous metallurgy enterprises to choose one of several alternative technological modes is as follows: the choice of technological mode should be based on a comparison of sizes of the areas of ecological zones. In this case, the technological mode with the smallest dimensions of the area is selected. Assessment of the damage caused by the chemical pollution of the plant to forest areas was determined by the area of ecological zones and the volume of biomass loss in forest areas in comparison with the background areas. The boundaries of ecological zones can be determined according to the “dose-effect” dependencies typical for the considered region.

Prospects of transition of ferrous metallurgy enterprises of Russia to the use of carbon-free technologies

The intention to preserve a comfort habitat for the mankind finds expression in the attempts to decrease the anthropogenic impact on the environment. A concept “carbon footprint” appeared, which reflects input of some kind of activity to the environment pollution. The desire to influence producers’ behavior and make them decrease their carbon footprint under existing conditions results in elaboration new kinds of taxes and duties, stimulating modernization of technological process and decrease of harmful substances emissions. It is expected that in case of the taxes being implemented by big metal products consumers, such as Western Europe, will result in considerable change of the metal products market. An analysis of various ways of metal producers’ adaptation to operation in conditions of the expected changes presented. It was shown that such organization measures as lobbying of interests and artificial differentiation of business on provisionally “clean” and “dirty” will result in a rather restricted result. Thereupon actuality of a radical modernization of production capacities to decarbonize the technologies of steel production grows. Replacement of the carbon by hydrogen for reducing of iron oxides is the most advanced technological solution. At the same time, the hydrogen metallurgy is not yet implemented anywhere on industrial scale, and the hydrogen application in the production cycle results in a lot of questions, having not yet definite answers. A SWOT-analysis presented, demonstrating advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen technology mastering by metals producers.

Influence of ferrous metallurgy enterprises on atmospheric air quality as an ecological component of territories sustainable development. Report 2

The adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals until 2030 served as an impulse for development and implementation of regulatory legal acts aimed at environmental protection in the Russian Federation, including appropriate fnancial mechanisms. The task of reducing level of air pollution is highlighted in the UN program documents as one of the priorities. The most problematic in terms of air pollution in Russia are 12 cities, seven of which have ferrous metallurgy enterprises. The problems of ecological development of large industrial centers remain (despite the implementation of the state program of the Russian Federation “Environmental Protection” since 2012, and the national project “Ecology” since 2019) introduction of a quota system for pollutant emissions substances, determination of the list of compensatory measures and creation of the federal information system for atmospheric air quality monitoring. In cities such as Krasnoyarsk and Novokuznetsk, the average actual annual concentration of some pollutants, which are highly toxic and carcinogenic substances of I and II hazard classes, exceeds the permissible maximum by 5 – 6 times. We have analyzed content of the reports of the specialized state authorities at the regional level on state and protection of environment. It is concluded that there is no unity of methodological approaches to presentation of analytical information on state and quality of atmospheric air in reports, as well as untimely publication of the reports themselves. The fact of inertia of the institutional environment was revealed in terms of including irrelevant norms in the adopted legal acts, and as a consequence – emergence of expenditure obligations of budgets, without real need for them. It was established that large enterprises of ferrous metallurgy (Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant PJSC (Mechel) and Krasnoyarsk Metallurgical Plant LLC), operating in cities with very high levels of air pollution, did not draw up corporate non­fnancial reporting in the GRI format.

Digital transformation of pyrometallurgical technologies: State, scientifc problems and prospects of development

The article considers an overview and critical analysis of the digitalization of the leading Russian ferrous metallurgy enterprises in accordance with the Industry 4.0 development concept. It provides for the creation of digital twins of pyrometallurgical technologies, the widespread use of machine vision and artifcial intelligence. The examples of domestic industrial systems using the technologies of machine (technical) vision in production cycle, digital assistants (twins) of metallurgical units and their sets are presented. With regard to blast­furnace production, technical vision systems used to control processes in the upper and lower zones of blast furnace are considered. A promising area is the integration of technical vision and decision support systems, including algorithms and software modules for implementation of deterministic mathematical models of individual phenomena of blast furnace smelting. They are based on fundamental physical concepts of blast­furnace smelting processes. One of the main directions of digital transformation of pyrometallurgical technologies is creation of intelligent control systems for technological process in metallurgy in real time. When formulating and solving problems, it is required not only to study the characteristics describing the effect of change in melting conditions on technical and economic indicators of the operation of individual furnaces, but also a detailed analysis for mathematical description of external and internal constraints. The authors present the examples of subsystems for control of heat losses in a blast furnace, predicting the parameters of tuyere hearths and controlling distribution of blast parameters around the perimeter of a blast furnace, an automated system for analyzing and predicting production situations in a blast furnace. Creation of such systems was carried out on the basis of modern principles and technologies for the development of appropriate mathematical, algorithmic and software support.

Influence of Ferrous Metallurgy Enterprises on Atmospheric Air Quality as an Environmental Component of Sustainable Development of Territories. Report 2

Influence of Ferrous Metallurgy Enterprises on Atmospheric Air Quality as an Environmental Component of Sustainable Development of Territories. Report 2

Modern methods for purification of emissions from ferrous metallurgy enterprises

The article systematizes the characteristics of emissions of toxic substances from the main processing in ferrous metallurgy: dust, organic and inorganic gas toxins. It is shown that methods for capturing emissions from metallurgical dust are still based on the use of inertial and electrostatic forces and a filtration method. The greatest cleaning effect is provided by cloth filters and electrostatic precipitators. Currently, there are filter materials for high-temperature gas purification (up to 1000˚C), and electrostatic precipitators that allow capturing highly dispersed particles. Improvement of wet apparatuses is moving towards the creation of high-pressure scrubbers and centrifugal apparatus that provide cooling and purification of gases from submicron dust and gaseous toxins. It is shown that at present there are various methods of gas purification from organic and inorganic toxins based on the phenomena of sorption, oxidation and reduction in the presence of catalysts and without them, as well as under electronic, light and radiation exposure. When choosing devices for cleaning metallurgical emissions, preference should be given to those in which the processes of capturing dust and toxic gases are combined.

Influence of ferrous metallurgy enterprises on atmospheric air quality as an ecological component of territories sustainable development. Report 1

The main provisions of the Concept of Sustainable Development, formulated in 1992 at the conference in Rio de Janeiro, based on the economy – environment – society sustainability triad, are accepted as the basis for development by most countries. Over the past period, an institutional framework for sustainable development has been formed both at the international level and at the level of states. Reducing level of air pollution is one of the key tasks, solution of which is necessary to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals stated by the United Nations. Despite of adoption of the Concept of Transition to Sustainable Development in Russia back in 1996, focus on environmental component took a long time to be made. The article considers the stages of regulatory environment development aimed at ensuring sustainable development and reducing level of air pollution in Russia. It was revealed that a significant expansion of the regulatory and legal field in this area occurred only in 2017 – 2019. In many ways, this is due to Russia’s orientation towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals stated by the UN, and adoption of the national development goals of the Russian Federation. It was found that despite the use of such financial mechanisms as the state program of the Russian Federation “Environmental Protection” and the national project “Ecology” to achieve sustainability goals, the share of environmental protection expenditures in total expenditures of the federal budget in 2019 was only 1.3 %. At present, in twelve cities of the Russian Federation, level of air pollution is assessed as high and very high. In seven of them, ferrous metallurgy enterprises operate, which exert significant anthropogenic pressure on the environment.

ASSESSMENT OF CARCINO¬GENIC RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH FROM AIR POLLUTION WITH FORMALDEHYDE IN THE CITY OF ZAPORIZHZHYA

The city of Zaporizhzhya is one of the most technologically advanced cities in Ukraine with significant scientific, technical and production potential. The city's industry is based on the metallurgical complex, which has a great influence on the state of the atmospheric air. This problem is of particular relevance in the Zavodskoy and Voznesenovsky districts of the city with a significant concentration of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, which certainly emphasizes the relevance of solving issues of protecting the health of the population living in these areas.
 The article examines the assessment of the carcinogenic risk to the health of the population of the Zavodskoy and Voznesenovsky districts from the impact of formaldehyde emissions.
 The composition of emissions from stationary sources of industrial enterprises contains a variety of chemical compounds, of which the most common are suspended matter (aerosols, dust), carbon monoxide (II), nitrogen oxide (IV), formaldehyde and others. Their ingress into the human body leads to a deterioration in health, damage to organs and systems, the occurrence of chronic diseases.
 The results of calculations of the individual and population carcinogenic risk to the health of the population in Zavodskoy and Voznesenovsky districts under acute and chronic exposure indicate an average level of risk (10-4<ICR<10-3), that is, acceptable for professional groups and unacceptable for the general population, typical for most large industrial cities. The emergence of such a risk requires the development and implementation of planned health measures.
 Comparing the average individual carcinogenic and population levels of risk to public health in the two study areas with acute and chronic exposure, it can be noted that the level of carcinogenic risk in Voznesenovsky district is higher than in Zavodskoy.

Influence of Ferrous Metallurgy Enterprises on Atmospheric Air Quality as an Environmental Component of Sustainable Development of Territories. Report 1

Influence of Ferrous Metallurgy Enterprises on Atmospheric Air Quality as an Environmental Component of Sustainable Development of Territories. Report 1

On the possibility of using a complex acoustic method for drainage in ferrous metallurgy

Ferrous metallurgy enterprises are among the largest consumers of water, and their water treatment and purification systems are among the most important elements, as the quality of water directly affects the reliability and efficiency of the main equipment of ferrous metallurgy enterprises. In order to reuse wastewater in the technological process at ferrous metallurgy enterprises, it is proposed to use the complex acoustic method developed by the author of the article in 1999. This method enables to intensify sedimentation processes of original and acoustically coagulated suspended particles, thicken the sediment, intensify the process of heat removal from superheated water, etc. The main difference of this method is the use of the same set of acoustic equipment (with removable digital media) to simultaneously solve a range of tasks. The developed method can be applied both independently, and in systems of water purification and treatment existing at enterprises. The results of application of the complex acoustic method for increasing the quality and economy of purification of circulating and sewage industrial waters, and also for intensification of the process of heat removal from the heated circulating water are presented.

ГЕОХИМИЧЕСКИЕ ПРОЦЕССЫ НАКОПЛЕНИЯ ТЯЖЕЛЫХ МЕТАЛЛОВ В ЛАНДШАФТАХ ЮЖНОГО УРАЛА

Актуальность.На исследуемой территории развиты различные типы ландшафтов, которые интенсивно используются как в сельскохозяйственном, так и в горнопромышленном производстве.Добыча и переработка рудного сырья вовлекает в круговорот химические элементы, которые аэрогенным или атмогенным путем попадают в окружающие ландшафты и загрязняют их. Это приводит к трансформации ландшафтов, появляются техногенные и геохимические аномалии. Поэтому эколого-геохимическая характеристика позволяет выявить основные техногенные факторы, оказывающие негативное влияние на окружающие ландшафты. Цель: оценить геохимические уровни тяжелых металлов природных и антропогенных ландшафтов. Объекты: почвы природных и техногенных ландшафтов. Методы: отбор и подготовка почв, определение элементного состава почв инструментальным инверсионно вольтамперометрическим методом. Результаты.Приведены результаты геохимических исследований почв природных и техногенных ландшафтов (западной части Челябинской области и востока республики Башкортостан). Для оценки степени загрязнения было рассчитано фоновое содержание для тяжелых металлов Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni и Co. На исследуемой территории выделено несколько типов ландшафтов (горный, предгорный, степной и лесной). Произведена оценка негативного влияниягорно-металлургических предприятий черной и цветной металлургии, карьерно-отвальных массивов рудного и нерудногоматериала на загрязнение почв.Установлено, что максимальное превышение фонового содержания тяжелых металлов – вблизи металлургических комбинатов, в наименьшей степени – вблизи карьерно-отвальных систем. По данным индекса суммарного загрязнения установлено, что почвы ландшафта классифицируются от средней до сильной степени загрязнения. По индексу геоаккумуляции выявлены основные центры загрязнения и составлены карты-схемы.

Прогнозирование электропотребления промышленных предприятий с помощью модели авторегрессии проинтегрированного скользящего среднего

The problems concerned with forecasting the amount of electricity consumed by industrial enterprises are of utmost importance. An effective way of resolving conflicts between an industrial enterprise and a power supply company and preventing the occurrence of additional costs is to perform maximally accurate prediction of electricity consumption parameters, which can be achieved by reducing them for a contractual settlement period. Electricity consumption forecasting is of importance both from the technological and economical points of view, and its completeness has a direct effect on improving the competitiveness of manufactured products. This, in turn, is determined by a significant fraction of electricity expenditures in the enterprise output net cost. In determining the forecasted indicators of electricity consumption by industrial enterprises, it is advisable to use modern high-precision forecasting methods that ensure the minimum prediction error. The article addresses matters concerned with forecasting the electricity consumption by industrial enterprises with applying the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) method and using the Python 3.9 programming language (with involvement of the following software packages: statsmodels, numpy, pandas, pmdarima, and matplotlib) taking a metallurgical enterprise in the Republic of Uzbekistan as an example. An outline flowchart of electricity consumption prediction algorithm using the autoregressive integrated moving average method has been developed. The electricity consumption value predicted using the developed model is compared with the actual electricity consumption data. The adequacy of the developed models is validated by low absolute and relative errors between the actual and predicted data. An analysis of prediction error values has shown that the low prediction error in percentage terms is due to adequately developed mathematical models of electricity consumption parameters, due to which these can be applied to forecast the electricity consumption parameters at ferrous metallurgy enterprises.