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History of the company
Kluchevsky Ferroalloys Plant is a modern company manufacturing high-quality ferroalloys and master alloys with rare and rare-earth metals. It is located in the village of Dvurechensk, Sysert District, Sverdlovsk Region, about 50 km south-east of Ekaterinburg.
The company was established in 1941 on the base of the chromium concentrator. In 1941-1945, the manufacture of chromium-aluminium alloy, manganese metal, chromium metal, low-carbon ferrochrome was introduced by the out-of-furnace aluminothermic melting method. About 2.1 tonnes of products were manufactured during that time. In 1950, the manufacture of nitrided ferrochrome by the above method was introduced.
In 1954 the overhaul (in fact, the building of the new factory) started. In 1957 the complex of ferroalloy shop No. 2 with auxiliary facilities was put into operation. It specializes in the manufacture of chromium alloys and master alloys by the out-of-furnace method. In 1961 and 1965 melting bays of shop No. 1 were commissioned for the manufacture of out-of-furnace ferrotitanium and master alloys in electric furnaces. In 1971 and 1975 melting bays of shop No. 5 were commissioned for the melting of ferroniobium by the electric furnace method.
In 1972-1975 shop No. 2 was renovated and electric furnaces and gas cleaning systems were installed.
The company's special feature the manufacture, chiefly by the aluminothermic method, of the group of "exotic" low-mass and small-batch special-purpose ferroalloys and master alloys with rare and rare-earth metals - Cr, Ti, Nb, W, Zr, Ba, rare-earth metals, Al, B and others in various compositions. The company is unique in the ferroalloys industry of Russia and CIS countries in terms of technologies used and the main range of products.
The systematic and purposeful activities in cooperation with many research and academic institutes to study theories of the metallothermic melting method, to develop and implement advanced technologies and new alloy compositions ensure the continual improvement and higher technical and quality production levels and cost effectiveness. In 1968 the melting of alloys in electric furnaces accounted for 57% of the total output. In 1990 the total output of ferroalloys exceeded the level of 1957 12 times and the level of 1950 more than 20 times. In 1961-1991 the company was the world's largest chromium metal manufacturer.
The major technical breakthrough in the development of the metallothermic production method was the successful implementation in 1964-1970 of the high-temperature alloy melting technologies involving the casting under the slag layer in metal unlined and uncooled molds at process temperatures 1800-2100°C.
In 1960-2000 about 100 inventions were developed and defended. The majority of them were used in the production process.
In 1984 a group of the company's employees (9 people) were awarded with the prize of the USSR Council of Minister for the implementation of new technologies, improved technical level and cost effectiveness of waste-free processes.
At present the company is testing the induction melting method and the manufacture of powder wire for out-of-furnace steel treatment.
Due to the specific and mixed range of products the company uses raw materials from external suppliers.
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