In January 2024, the VPSA oxygen-generating unit (26,700Nm3/h, 90%) designed and built by PKU Pioneer for Maanshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (Ma Steel) passed the factory acceptance tests as the second large VPSA oxygen system PKU Pioneer undertook for China Baowu Group after the previous VPSA oxygen generation unit (22,222m3/hr, 90%) for Meishan Iron and Steel. The oxygen equipment provides low-cost oxygen gas for Ma Steel's oxygen-enriched ironmaking.
At the beginning of 2023, PKU Pioneer signed a cooperation agreement with Ma Steel. During the design process, insisting on excellence and taking their needs seriously, PKU Pioneer’s engineering team further enhanced the integration of main equipment and overall process to better meet Ma Steel's requirements for lower energy consumption, noise level, and water consumption. Under the coordination of Baowu Qingneng, all parties validated and optimized the layout arrangement, pipeline configuration, and construction period assurance, after which an optimal solution with reasonable layout and easy maintenance was presented for the user to improve the oxygen generation efficiency and substantially lower the unit cost of oxygen. It is reported that the cost per Nm3 of oxygen for this large-scale oxygen production equipment is nearly 50% lower than that of other oxygen supply systems of the owner. In this regard, PKU Pioneer effectively assisted Ma Steel to reduce its overall iron smelting costs, making it a strong reference for cost reduction and efficiency improvement in enterprises with long steel production processes.
To date, PKU Pioneer has provided high-quality oxygen generation solutions to nearly 70 steel enterprises worldwide. The VPSA (vacuum pressure swing adsorption) and PSA (pressure swing adsorption) oxygen generation units have received high praise from major iron and steel giants both domestically and internationally. Compared to cryogenic air separation process, VPSA and PSA oxygen units have lower overall costs, shorter construction periods, simpler operation procedures, and better safety and stability performance, they’re the preferred choice for lower-cost oxygen supply for blast furnaces and an effective measure for iron and steel enterprises to implement innovations, enhance efficiency, and improve overall competitiveness.
Founded in 1953, Ma Steel has a development history spanning 70 years. In 2019, Ma Steel became a subsidiary of China Baowu Group. It has since grown into a super-large integrated steelmaker with an annual production capacity of 20 million tons of steel. All of its ironmaking equipment is large-scale and modernized, making it one of the largest steel companies in China and globally. Ma Steel ranked 140th in the "2020 China Top 500 Brands" list.
