Batteries

 

Coking Plant Zdzieszowice


Lots of change over the last ten years at Europe’s largest coking plant in

in Zdzieszowice, Poland.
The works were built in 1930 by the German mining company Gräflich Schaffgottsche Werke.
The design of the first coke oven batteries no.1&2 was carried out by the famous German industrial architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer.Both batteries were installed by the Still company.
In between 1962 and 1968 batteries 3-6 were commissioned by a Russian manufacturer. All of the six batteries now existing were stamp charged.
In 1972 a second strand of top charged batteries (7-10) was installed one kilometer south of the existing one.These ovens were built by a Polish company.
From 2002 to 2004 batteries 7&8 were completly rebuilt and batteries 9&10 were abandoned.
In between 2006 to 2008 two new batteries(11&12)  were built west of  battery no. 7 by the Zarmen company  from Poland.
Immediatly after the old batteries no. 1&2 were closed down and dismantled in 2010. Batteries 9&10 were torn down in 2011.
Some new images at Stahlseite.

Vintage coke ovens dismantled

coke batteries

During today’s visit at ArcelorMittal’s Zdzieszowice coke plant in Poland I could convince myself that Europe’s probably oldest existing coke oven batteries are completly dismantled by now.
The batteries NO 1 & 2 were built by Gräflich Schaffgotsche Werke in 1932 and 1938.
The location 50 kilometers away from the next coal mine and without any steel industry in the vicinity was chosen mostly for political reasons. The administration had decided to offer industrial jobs for the German population in this rural part of Silesia.
The design for this new coking plant was done by Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer from Germany. Both batteries had a stamp charging system and were built by the Still company. The batteries were shut down in 2008 and dismantled in 2010.
ArcelorMittal Zdzieszowice today runs 8 oven batteries (3-6 are stamp charged and 7,8,11 and 12 are top charged) of which 4 were rebuilt in the last 10 years. Batteries NO 9 and 10 were dismantled recently too.
Zdzieszowice is the largest coke plant in Europe producing more than 4 mio. tons of metallurgical and domestic coke each year.

Further images.