Mobarakeh Steel Company (MSC, fa, فولاد مبارکه, Foolad Mobarakeh) is an state owned Iranian steel company, located 65 km south west of
Esfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. It is lo ...
, near the city of
Mobarakeh
Mobarakeh ( fa, مباركه, also Romanized as Mobārakeh and Mubārakeh) is a city and capital of Mobarakeh County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 62,454, in 16,583 families. Mobarakeh Steel Company (MSC, Persia ...
,
Esfahan Province, Iran. It is the largest steel maker of MENA (Middle East & Northern Africa) region, and one of the largest industrial complexes operating in Iran. It was commissioned after the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
in 1979 and initiated operations during 1993. It underwent major revamping during year 2000, and is scheduled for a second and third revamping in 2009–2010, bringing the total steel output to 7,200,000
metric ton
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...
s per year. The company owns the successful football club,
Sepahan
Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی فولاد مبارکه سپاهان اصفهان, ''Bâšgâh-è Varzeši-ye Fulâd-è Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan S.C., are an Iranian spor ...
. In 2022, a parliamentary report indicated corruption of $3 billion, leading to the company being suspended from the Tehran stock exchange.
Production processes: overview
MSC's
iron ore (raw material) comes from mines in Golgohar and Chadermaloo (
Kerman and
Yazd
Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Wor ...
provinces) and are converted to pellets in the
pelletizing plant (diameters: 8–10 mm). After being reduced in the
direct reduction (DR) plant and removed of oxygen, pellets are converted to (
sponge iron
Direct reduced iron (DRI), also called sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of lumps, pellets, or fines) into iron by a reducing gas or elemental carbon produced from natural gas or coal. Many ores are suit ...
). Sponge iron and
iron scrap is melted in
electric arc furnace
An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a furnace that heats material by means of an electric arc.
Industrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one-tonne capacity (used in foundries for producing cast iron products) up to ...
s, after which liquid steel is purified in secondary purification units. The steel's chemical compound is designed by customer demand. Then, it is transported to casting machines for
slab
Slab or SLAB may refer to:
Physical materials
* Concrete slab, a flat concrete plate used in construction
* Stone slab, a flat stone used in construction
* Slab (casting), a length of metal
* Slab (geology), that portion of a tectonic plate tha ...
production. After cooling, slab is rolled at the hot
rolling mill
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...
, creating hot coils (thickness: 1.5–16 mm). Some are sold; others go to the hot finishing mill for complementary work and hot sheet transformation or the
cold rolling
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...
mill to lower strip thickness to 0.18 mm. Cold rolled coils are also dedicated for the
tinning
Tinning is the process of thinly coating sheets of wrought iron or steel with tin, and the resulting product is known as tinplate. The term is also widely used for the different process of coating a metal with solder before soldering.
It is m ...
,
galvanizing
Galvanization or galvanizing ( also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are submerge ...
, and prepainting lines.
History
The planning for steel manufacturing was started in 1975. The project originally was started in Bandar Abbas and five years later it was transferred to Esfahan. Due to political turmoil, no activity took place until 1980.
Iron plant complex
The iron plant complex has 10 main production line units (the rest are auxiliary and back up units). Iron ores with large grains from Golgohar are converted by ball mills in the Pelletizing plant. After mixing with Chadermalou's smaller grains and bentonite in blending machines it is changed to pellets (diameter: 6–25 mm) and screened by a two-story roller screen. Pellets solidify in an induration tunnel or furnace at 1280 °C. The Lime Production Plant receives
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
from the Hozmahi mine, which is then
calcinated
Calcination refers to thermal treatment of a solid chemical compound (e.g. mixed carbonate ores) whereby the compound is raised to high temperature without melting under restricted supply of ambient oxygen (i.e. gaseous O2 fraction of air), gener ...
in two rotary kilns at 780-1050 °C. After screening, calcinated lime may be used in the Lime Plant, consumed in the Palletizing Plant, Briquet Unit or for industrial water production.
At the direct reduction plant, pellets are charged in Midrex shaft furnaces after misco-grain screening (less than 5mm). Two reducing gases (derived from cracking
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
or
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...
, consisting of CO and H
2) are injected into the furnace, combine with oxygen from the pellets resulting in CO
2 + H
2O. Without oxygen, pellets become sponge irons. After screening, sponge irons are transferred to the Steel Plant. Sponge irons with a diameter less than 5 mm go to the briquet unit to produce briquets (diameter above 25 mm). Then, they are transferred to the Steel Plant with the sponge iron.
Steel making and continuous casting plant
The steel making & continuous casting Plant has eight electric arc furnaces receiving sponge iron and other additives. They are melted with about 15% scrap in the furnace, which has a capacity of 180–200 tons. The plant also has four (to be increased to eight in current revamping)
ladle furnaces and one (to be doubled) degassing vessel, used to adjust the final chemical mix and purity, as well as adjusting casting temperature. Additionally, there are four continuous slab casting machines, each having two arc casting strands (radius: 10.5 m). They produce the plant's final product, called slabs. These slabs are 10 m long, 20 cm in thickness and 65–188 cm (adjustable) width. Slab production capacity is 4,200,000 t/yr (revamping year 2000), to be increase in steps to 5,400,000 and 7,200,000 MTPY. Slabs are manually cooled and scrafed in the Slab Cooling & Conditioning plant. There are many waste materials to use for other products, like material skimming slag, damaged lance, damaged and refectaries.
Products
MSC's products consist of hot and cold rolled sheets and coils, pickled coils, narrow strip coil, tinplate sheet and coil galvanized coil, prepanted coil and slab. These products are produced according to national and international standards. They meet the needs of various industries such as: automotive, home appliances, pipe making, pressure vessels, foodstuff, chemical material and medical packing, construction, transportation, naval industries, and heavy metal equipment.
Expenses and investment: 2007
Sales channels
Since the Ogboli Samuel Metal Exchange was launched in 2003, MSC has supplied products through this exchange via brokers involved at prices specified by the exchange's mechanisms. Interested buyers contact brokers, inform the amount of their requirement, offer prices, and get more information regarding the purchase.
Some products are sold directly to factories and plants via the sales departments under the following specifications: (1) applicant is a direct consumer; (2) applicant's minimum annual consumption is 1,000 tons hotrolled and 500 tons coldrolled products; (3) ability to purchase on a regular basis. Documents needed to enroll include: (a) certified copies of Operation Permit or similar documents; (b) Applicant's Memorandum of Establishment, as well as latest changes in its
Board of Directors; and (c) a purchase application form. Additionally, MSC employs Service Centers based in 11 Iranian provinces.
Export department
MSC's export department has focused on increasing confidence in international markets. It has attained a
just-in-time delivery plan for markets in Europe, Canada, Latin America, South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa. To meet challenges confronting global markets and achieve new horizons, MSC's export department consolidated efforts to maintain the supply of hotrolled coils and sheets as its export priority plan as well as the export of other products (i.e., coldrolled coil/sheets, pickled products, galvanized and pre-painted coils) to various regional markets.
During the first five months of the
Iranian calendar year 1386 AP (March 21 to August 22, 2007), about 1.9 M/t of MSC products were transported to customers, with 460,000 tons of products worth more than $500 million exported. Over 14,000 tons of special products including
ST52, coldrolled products, car bodies (MB), galvanized and color coated products were exported to various countries like Iraq, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
.
Development
In 1999, MSC expanded its hotrolled coil capacity to 3.1 million metric tons/yr from 2.5. Also, a sixth direct-reduced iron plant was proposed for Mobarakeh. In 2002, expansion of hot-rolled coil capacity increased to 4.2 Mt/yr from 3.1 Mt/yr. Additional proposed facilities included a 400,000-t/yr cold-rolled mill and a 120,000 t/yr tinplate line in addition to the development of the 3.2-Mt/yr Chegharat iron mine.
[P. Mobbs (2002)]
MSC ordered engineering for an increase of total production in two steps : 5,400,000 and 7,200,000 metric tons/yr
Shareholders
#Iran Mines and Mineral Industries Development and Renovation Organization
#Welfare Capital Development Company - Private Joint Stock
#Commercial Bank
#Sadra Tamin Investment Company - Public Joint Stock
#Rural and Nomadic Social Insurance Fund
#Tehran Province Investment Company
#Behsazan Tadbir Zangan Energy Company - Private Joint Stock
#Khorasan Razavi Province Investment Company
#National Pension Fund
#Saba Capital Development and Management Company - Private Joint Stock
#Khuzestan Province Investment Company
#Eurasian Economic Planners Investment Company
Manufacturing units
See also
*
Mining in Iran
Mining in Iran is still under development, yet the country is one of the most important mineral producers in the world, ranked among 15 major mineral-rich countries, holding some 68 types of minerals, 37 billion tonnes of proven reserves and ...
*
Global steel industry trends
*
Hot rolling
*
Rolling mill
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...
*
Silicon steel
Electrical steel (E-steel, lamination steel, silicon electrical steel, silicon steel, relay steel, transformer steel) is an iron alloy tailored to produce specific magnetic properties: small hysteresis area resulting in low power loss per cycle ...
*
Steel producers
*
Steel mill
Notes
References
''Iran Daily''July 25, 2005 p. 3
*P. Mobbs (2002
''Mineral Industry in Iran''*P. Mobbs (2001
''Mineral Industry of Iran''*Metal Bulletin (2001a), Iran plans big capacity increase at Mobarakeh: p. 17.
*''Iran Daily'' (2001
''Mobarakeh Steel complex finalizes buyback deal'' Local Economics (p. 3)
*''Tehran Times'' (2001
''Isfahan steel mill output hits 2m-ton mark''*Iran Daily (2000
Steel Accord signed with China*MEsteel.com (2003
''Mobarake expanding''
External links
Official websiteMobarakeh Steel Annual Report 2005–2006
{{TSE Companies of Iran
Steel companies of Iran
Isfahan Province
Companies established in 1993
Companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange
Iranian entities subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
Iron ore mining companies