#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The Sulfur Program is Nornickel’s largest and most important environmental initiative, which provides for the utilization of sulfur dioxide at the Nadezhda metallurgical and copper plants, which are part of Nornickel’s Polar Division, and this will dramatically reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in Norilsk.
Almost three thousand people are involved in the environmental facilities construction. More than 2 000 tons of equipment and 12 000 tons of steel structures have already been installed.
One of the facilities involves the installation of six storage tanks for sulfuric acid with a total volume of 15 000 cubic meters.
Tanks play an important role in the sulfuric acid neutralization process chain and in general in reducing emissions. The tanks are designed for long-term storage of sulfuric acid with a service life of at least ten years.
The diameter of each tank is 19 meters, the wall thickness at the bottom is almost two centimeters, and the height of the storage is nine meters, which is comparable to a three-story building. Each of the tanks will be able to hold more than four thousand tons of acid.
The warehouse itself, in which the tanks are currently being installed, will be the final link in the technology for the production of technical sulfuric acid. From it, it is possible to ship the product for production needs through loading into tankers, and also send the acid to the next stage – the site for neutralizing sulfuric acid with limestone, where it is converted into a harmless natural material – gypsum pulp.
In another workshop for the production of sulfuric acid, a site is being prepared for the installation of the Sulfur Program largest equipment – five heat exchangers, each of which weighs from 130 to 200 tons.
The units will maintain the thermal regime in different layers of the three contact apparatuses in order to ensure maximum interaction of the catalyst with the gas mixture. The devices have already arrived at the Dudinka seaport.
To transport the giants to the site of the Nadezhda metallurgical plant, a special route has been laid, self-propelled modular transporters are ready to carry them. The heat exchangers installation is no less complicated than delivery. Their total weight is almost 900 tons, so to place the equipment in the workshop, it was necessary to install specialized lifting mechanisms.
At the site of the Nadezhda metallurgical plant, in addition to what has already been done, about six thousand tons of equipment and about 22 thousand tons of metal structures will have to be assembled.
All work is aimed at launching the first production line at the Nadezhda metallurgical plant into integrated pilot operation by the end of 2022.
Despite external challenges, Nornickel continues to implement development projects. The company has sufficient margin of safety to fulfill its plans. On March 15, vice-presidents of the company spoke about this on a q-and-a meeting with employees.
To date, Norilsk has achieved a 13.7 percent reduction in harmful emissions. In general, by 2030 Nornickel will spend $ 5.5 billion on environmental projects.
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Text: Angelica Stepanova, Photo: Marina Peshkova
