• JFE Steel Corporation, Fukuyama Works, 6A Coke Oven Battery
• Number of oven : 52 ovens
• Production capacity : 420,000t/y

Paul Wurth IHI Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “PWIHI”) is pleased to announce that the No. 6 Coke Oven Battery A at JFE Steel Corporation’s West Japan Works (Fukuyama) has commenced operation on August 31, 2026. This new installation is the Japan’s first large-scale coke oven employing stamp charging technology.

For this project, PWIHI was commissioned for engineering, manufacturing and supervision for erection and commissioning of the new coke oven battery, as well as engineering, manufacturing and erection of two types of coke oven machines: one is Stamping, Charging, Pushing (SCP) machine which compacts pulverized coal into a dense coal cake and charges it into the oven, and the other is Charging Gas Transfer Car which transfers a large amount of charging gases to the adjacent ovens.

Unlike conventional top-charging system under which pulverized coal is charged into the oven from the top, the stamp charging system compacts coal into a “coal cake,” before charging it into the oven from the side. This stamping technology for forming the dense, homogeneous cake is expected to improve coke quality and broaden the range of grades of coking coal for blending. This contributes to higher production efficiency and lower operating costs.

This new coke oven battery is equipped with Paul Wurth’s single-oven pressure control technology, SOPRECO®, which continuously controls the pressure of each individual oven and increases suction capacity during coal charging and the initial stage of carbonization. This SOPRECO® system suppresses the leakage of raw gas from oven openings and reduces fumes and dust emissions during charging which is an operational challenge specific to stamp charging systems. Furthermore, an ultra-low-NOx combustion system incorporated in the new battery enables stable heating and improved combustion efficiency while reducing NOx emissions.

This Japan’s first installation of a stamp charging coke oven has been completed successfully and brought into operation by combining Paul Wurth’s globally proven coke oven technologies with IHI’s engineering capabilities and the project execution expertise cultivated through extensive project experience.

Going forward, PWIHI will continue to offer optimal solutions that meet the needs of our customers through a wide range of products and state-of-the-art technologies for ironmaking and steel-making processes. With our solutions to achieve improved production efficiency and reduced environmental impact, PWIHI will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Japan’s steel industry and the realization of carbon neutrality.