Tenova Pyromet, part of the globally-present Tenova Mining & Minerals, has successfully commissioned 4 x 16.5 MVA ferrochrome (FeCr) furnaces for Visa Bao Limited’s new plant near Jajpur in Orissa, India. Tenova Pyromet supplied its patented lower electrode equipment for the FeCr furnaces, with the first furnace being switched in in June 2013, and the remaining three to be switched in over the second half of 2013.

Visa Bao is a joint venture between VISA Steel, a leading player in the Indian special steel and FeCr sector, and Baosteel, China.  Its new 100,000 tpa FeCr plant in Orissa will produce High Carbon FeCr for sale in India and for export to China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Europe and the USA, amongst others.

With the scope of the contract covering key equipment supply for the furnaces for this greenfield project, Tenova Pyromet designed, engineered, manufactured and supplied the lower electrode assembly, comprising of Tenova Pyromet’s patented pressure ring and contact shoe equipment

The pressure ring is designed to prevent electrode breakages by enclosing and protecting the lower electrode equipment.  The skirt is forged from a solid slab of high conductivity, high purity copper, providing protection for the contact shoes and other critical components.  The design produces a uniform ambient temperature and electrical current distribution within the electrode baking zone around the contact shoes, resulting in enhanced electrode baking profiles.

Tenova Pyromet’s association with VISA Steel stretches back to 2006 when it supplied similar equipment for 2 x 16.5 MVA FeCr furnaces.  VISA Steel’s experience with this equipment convinced it of the advanced performance offered by Tenova Pyromet technology in terms of equipment performance and furnace availability.

“At Tenova Pyromet we are proud of our reputation in India as a world class furnace designer, with extensive experience in the Indian ferroalloys market. As with VISA Steel, our track record in India features a number of repeat orders from major players in both the private and state sector ferroalloy industry,” says Chris Oertel, Managing Director of Tenova Pyromet. “

Tenova Pyromet is a leading company in the design and supply of AC and DC furnaces for the production of ferroalloys, platinum group metals, base metals, slag cleaning and alloy refining. Tenova Pyromet also designs and supplies plant equipment that is associated with furnaces such as material handling and pre-treatment, alloy conversion and refining, granulation of metal, matte and slag, furnace off-gas fume collection and treatment and treatment of hazardous dusts and waste. Tenova Pyromet provides feasibility studies, construction and commissioning supervision and training and also, provides several technologies to reduce operating costs and increase production efficiencies.

Tenova Mining & Minerals is a total integrated solutions provider to the global mining, bulk materials handling and minerals beneficiation and processing sectors, offering innovative technological solutions and full process and commodity knowledge across the mining industry value chain.

Technical Enquiries: Contact Henk van der Bijl e-mail: henk.vanderbijl@tenova.com    

Tenova is a worldwide supplier of advanced technologies, products, and engineering services for the iron & steel and mining industries. More information is available at www.tenova.com