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Box 300, 1400 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 26026-0 · www.unido.org · [email protected] "" "% .'Í03W-D031A0 pioeii»iN«t «mm :sf 1 Ihiltail NatliiM »5 gr',. ,,av\'- '''Minami ••#* tó. .A»,'•> • ,«m •*•: M" Department of Economic and Social Affairs PROCEEDINGS United Nations Interregional Symposium on tho Application of Modern Technical Prácticos In the Iron and Steel Industry to Developing Countrlos Prague-Geneva November 1963 UNITED NATIONS Now York, 1964 b I NOTE r ST/CID/l 3 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. : 64. II.B. " Price : U.S..; 2.00 (or equivalent m o;her currencies) CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 f. OPENING OF THE SYMPOSIUM 3 Message from Mr. I. H. Abdel-Rahman, United Nations Commissioner for Industrial Development 4 Statement of the Chairman, Mr. Frantisele Houdek 6 The modern iron and steel industry 7 (Paper prepared by the Technological Division of the Centre for Industrial Development. Document Sect. I) II. DISCUSSION PAPERS Raw materials in Africa for iron and steel manufacture 17 i)i)\CI IX (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Africa. Document 11 J ECA.l) Raw materials for iron and steel making in the ECAFE region .... 34 £ Q\ tkjù (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East. Document ECAFE. 1) Trends in the production and consumption of iron and steel-making raw 36/C materials in Europe and the United States of America 40 ^ (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Europe. Document ECF.l) Steel-making raw materials in Latin'America 52 39/© (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America. Document ECLA.l) The iron and steel industry in Africa 73 3^l¥ (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Africa. Document ECA.2) Review of the iron and steel industry in the ECAFE region 76 3 ilo (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East. Document ECAFE.2) Present and future trends of production and consumption of pig-iron and _ crude steel in Europe and in the United States 83 OHtn (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Europe. Document ECE.2) The iron and steel industry of Latin America : Plans and perspectives. 95 ^^2.0 (Paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America. Document ECLA.2) HI. SUMMARIES OF DISCUSSIONS Raw materials and their preparation 121 Problems arising from the establishment and development of iron and steel industries in developing countries 122 Exploration and exploitation of iron ore reserves 123 Blast furnace : operation and developments 124 iii CONTENTS (continued) Page Benefkiation and concentration 126 Direct reduction processes 127 Sinter practice 129 Developments in and comparison of steel-making processes 130 Non-integrated and semi-integrated plant operations 132 Quality factors and standardization 133 Improvement or substitution for non-coking coals 134 Continuous casting I35 Electricity in the steel industry I37 Project planning and construction 13g IV. INSPECTION TOURS 139 V. CLOSING OF THE SYMPOSIUM AND ADOPTION OF ITS REPORT 141 ANNEXES I. Break-down of countries represented at the Symposium 147 II. List of participants I4g III. List of papers presented at the Symposium 154 IV INTRODUCTION GENERAL The Prague-Geneva meetings were, in effect, a specific The United Nations Interregional Symposium on the extension of the United Nations Conference on the Application of Modern Technical Practices in the Iron Application of Science and Technology for the Benefit and Steel Industry to Developing Countries was held of the Less Developed Areas in March 1963. The theme from 11 to 26 November 1963 with the following of the Symposium developed in great detail a single objectives : subject — the iron and steel production process — to which only one brief session could be devoted during (a) To establish closer contacts among the several the UNCSAT discussions. Even so, the technological nations represented at the Symposium, one with the advances made by the steel industry during the past other and each with the Centre for Industrial Develop- decade have been so extensive that any comprehensive ment, on the basis of common interests in iron and steel examination would have required more time than the industry developments; fiftetn days allotted to the Symposium. The scope of (b) To make available to a large number of developing the meetings covered two main subjects: (a) the two countries, and also to some more advanced nations, a initial phases of the steel industry operation — the body of information relating to ferrous metallurgy in preparation of iron and steel-making raw materials, and order to help them to advance towards industrialization; the conversion of those materials into the steel ingot; and (r) To foster a broad awareness of the Centre for (ft) problems arising from the establishment and develop- Industrial Development and its activities; and ment of iron and steel operations in developing countries. (d) To develop bases for new meetings, seminars and In connexion with the first of those subjects, it was symposia that might be incorporated into future decided to defer consideration of the two "final" aspects programmes cf the Centre around specific subjects of the steel production process — rolling and finishing — relating to steel industry development and technology. to a later meeting, if warranted by the results of this present Symposium. The Symposium represents the effective implementation The problems of preparation and conversion of iron of one of the tasks established in the work programme of and steel-making materials were considered in a world- the secretariat at the third session of the Committee for wide context. The needs of the developing areas were Industrial Development. It was sponsored by the Centre emphasized primarily, but comparable situations in for Industrial Development in the Department of Eco- industrial countries were also reviewed in detail. This nomic and Social Affairs, the Bureau of Technical coverage of all levels of steel activity provided a preview Assistance Operations (BTAO), the Economic Com- of new tasks that may be self-engendered within a steel mission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission industry development programme and also insured a for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE), the Economic subjective interest in the meetings by both developing Commission for Europe (ECE) and the Economic Com- and developed countries. mission for Latin America (ECLA). The meetings, which were held first in Prague and then in Geneva, were attended by 126 experts in iron and steel research, PRAGUE DISCUSSIONS: 11 TO 16 NOVEMBER 1963 development, plant operations and facility design, from fifty countries. Twenty-nine of these, or 58 per cent, may Sixty-two papers were presented at fifteen technical be considered "developing areas", and provided 36 per sessions in Prague.' Eleven of then were Secretariat cent of the individual attendance at the meetings.1 papers, the main working paper, two introductory papers and eight regional reports, two by each of the Economic The first six days, 11 to 16 November, were devoted Commissions, dealing with the iron and steel-making to the presentation and review of technical documents raw materials position in their respective area and the in Prague. The Symposium members then formed six current status of steel industry operations and planning groups, each of which visited a separate European within the regional boundaries of their responsibility. country — Czechoslovakia, the Federal Republic of The remaining fifty-one papers, presented by a group of Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United widely-esteemed authorities in the field of iron and steel Kingdom — to take part in an extensive inspection tour metallurgy, covered the following subjects: iron ore, of steel plant operations and related facilities and exploration and extraction (four papers); iron ore establishments of the country visited. The Symposium preparation (three); sinter practice (five); improvement then reassembled in Geneva on 25 and 26 November for summary discussions. 1 A list of the papers presented at the Symposium appears in annex III. Some of these papers are available and requests for 1 A break-down of countries represented at the Symposium is them should be addressed to the Centre for Industrial Development, given in annex I. A list of participants appears in annex II. United Nations Headquarters, New York. or substitution of non-coking coals (three); blast furnace programme was designed to provide a maximum of operation (two); special iron ore reduction processes information in each area of interest related to the scope (seven); modern steel-making practices (four); steel of our meeting.