"Vorskla Steel" steel plant is built with the use of state-of-the-art developments of up-dated slabs production and presupposes the use of direct reduction technology which is the most present-day and ecologically safe. In contrast to conventional blast furnace, coke-chemical, agglomeration and Martin technology of steel production, the direct reduction technology anticipates the use as a fuel of coke coal instead of natural gas that ensures ecological safety and emissions within permissible ranges. The plant will include high quality Austrian equipment Voest-Alpine/Siemens:

• two direct reduction units Midrex with the capacity 1,7 mtpa HDRI each
• two Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF)
• two Ladle Furnaces (LF)
• two Continuous Casting Machines (CCM) with the capacity 1,5 each

• main production units (Midrex direct reduction plant, electric arc furnace, lime-kiln department)
• objects of ancillary, transport and storehouse application (scrap yard, repair and engineering workshop, joint plant station, EZ and GRNJ post, diesel locomotives and wagons depot, servicing facilities, central storage, bulk material and ferroalloys storage, fire-station and others);
• objects of energetic application (electric substation, oxygen station, water treatment facilities, boiler room and others).
• Administrative and public buildings (administrative center, dining room, aid station).

The required productivity of the workshop is 3,4 mlnt/year is ensured by two identical modules with the productivity 1,7 mln/tons each.

The feed stock is the oxidized pellets of Poltava GOK and small dispersive lime of own production (lime-calcining plant is a part of the plant). In accordance with the requirements of technology, to increase heat-resistance of pellets, they are coated with lime milk, for preparation of which small disperse lime, produced by own lime-calcining plant is used. After being coated, oxidized pellets are supplied by conveyors to two identical modules - module 1 and module 2 from where are loaded by special vertical conveyor into the shaft furnace feeding system. The pellets loaded into the furnace are treated by reducing gas as a result a new product is produced - direct reduction iron (DRI) The recovery of iron oxides of oxidized pellets to steel iron by reducing gas is done with the temperatures from 830 up to 950C. The coating of pellets with the lime allows increasing the temperature level to indicated values facilitating the extension of furnace output but should remain lower than the temperature of smelting. This level is insured by physical warmth and corresponding composition of reducing gas.

The reducing gas is produced using the conversion method of natural gas in the reforming furnace. The end product of the process of reducing oxidized pellets in the shaft furnace is the direct reduced iron (DRI), which is the pellets of high degree of metallization (up to 93%). In the design mode DRI is mainly transported to electric arc furnace.

The direct reduction process of iron ore is a more expensive process than the reduction of iron ore in the blast furnace.

• The direct reduction technology allows building a steel plant with less capital expenses than similar production based on blast furnace technology.
• The advantage of metallized raw materials compared with the scrap is a high degree of pureness of detrimental impurities and impurities of colored metals, uniformity of chemical composition, stability of properties as well as flowability.
• The direct reduction process uses the powder ore avoiding the process of agglomeration which is necessary to use this iron ore in the blast furnace.
• The direct reduction process might use natural gas contaminated by inert gases avoiding by this the necessity of removing these gases.
• The direct reduction process is economically feasible only in the regions where natural gas is low priced.

Later on the technology foresees melting of solid charge (reduced pellets and scrap) in electric arc furnace. The temperature in the furnace is about 1600 0C. The melting takes place thanks to rendering across the electrodes of alternating current with the tension 750-1200V. The process of melting and heating is intensified by oxyfuel burners with injection of coal-fire ensuring the input of additional energy at the expense of carbon oxidizing reaction and metal impurities. In the process of heating the liquid melt to the temperature of metal discharge follows separation of steel from the rock, oxidation of carbon, silicon, manganese, phosphorus and other impurities in the charge. The use of metallized raw materials in electric arc furnace facilitates the improvement of steel quality as a result of reduction of detrimental impurities and impurities of colored metals that is very important in connection with permanently increasing pollution of scrap.

After reaching the required content of carbon and phosphorus as well as the temperature, the metal is poured into steel-casting ladle with the capacity of 200 tons. In the process of steel output ferroalloys and slag-forming are supplied into the ladle for a new reducing slag as well as blowdown of steel by argon through the plug at the bottom of the ladle. After steel discharge, the steel-casting ladle is directed toward the ladle-furnace. Out-of-furnace processing of steel at UKP insures the functions of reduction, alloying, desulfurization, homogenizing, and heating of steel. The blowdown by inert gas facilitates turbulent reactions between the metal and slag and removal of non-metal inclusions and creates favorable conditions for temperature averaging and chemical composition of steel after addition of ferroalloys.

Liquid steel after finishing at the out-of-furnace steel processing unit is supplied to continuous casting machine (CCM).

The casting of steel at the CCM is carried out serially in the cycle of steel melting at electric arc furnace. The casting from steel-casting ladle is carried out through intermediate ladle with the capacity of 27 tons. With the purpose of insuring permanent speed of casting and good quality of slab the casting of steel from intermediate ladle into crystallizer is carried out with the use of "Turnkey" technology through submerged casting barrels insuring protection of jet from repeated oxidation.

After recovery from crystallizer the slab is supplied to the air cooling area and then into drawing-levelling unit. After the recovery from drawing-levelling unit the levelled slab is supplied to the gas cutting machine where the head is cut and its cutting into measured lengths is done. The steel produced using the direct reduced technology has better mechanical properties and uniformity of composition than the usual one, it also has better impact elasticity indices, hardening capacity and aging resistance. The uniformity of chemical composition and properties of steel produced with the use of direct reduction technology allows to precisely set the temperature limits of thermal treatment that is very important for some special steel grades. In condition after hardening and drawback this steel by any content of carbon is characterized by higher plasticity and tenacity.

The indicated properties predetermine the most expedient assortment of steel which should be melted with the use of in the charge of metallized raw materials. First of all those steel grades belong to them, for which pureness of detrimental impurities and impurities of colored metals is a basic indicator of their quality: bearing, construction, high-strength alloyed and low-alloyed for machine-building and building, electro-technical, spring, instrumental of special application, rope, high-speed as well as steels for high-strength pipes of large diameter, some kinds of hardware and cold upset.