Graycor Industrial Constructors recently completed a major coke plant upgrade for ArcelorMittal at its Monessen, Pennsylvania, coke plant. The $50-million upgrade modernized pollution control equipment at the plant, which produces a baked coal that steel producers use in blast furnaces. The upgrades also made the plant safer and more competitive. The Monessen coke plant has a capacity to produce 370,000 tons of metallurgical coke annually.

The 12-month project commenced in February 2013 and was completed in the first quarter of 2014. Coke production is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2014. The 45-acre plant along the Monongahela River in Westmoreland County has been idled since 2009. The industrial construction project peaked at 140 craft personnel and 10 supervisors. Approximately 240,000 man-hours were recorded over the course of the project, without a single lost work day injury.

Graycor Industrial’s work scope included equipment installation, structural steel erection, civil construction and process piping for both the coke battery and the coke by-products plant. The major scope items for the battery included demolishing and rebuilding the screening station, quench tower and PEC baghouse. Graycor Industrial also installed a new Liquefied Ammonia Sulfate (LAS) system, rebuilt the Benzol plant, constructed a new wastewater treatment plant and replaced a majority of the large-bore coke oven gas lines.

“This was a great opportunity to work again with the team at ArcelorMittal on this major project,” said Dan Kilgore, Vice President at Graycor Industrial Constructors. “Upgrading an idled coke plant is no easy task, but we are fortunate to possess the right skill set, approach and experience level to ensure a successful outcome for this complex project. We are proud of the fact that we were able to deliver this significant project on time, on budget and without injuries.”

ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, it is the leading supplier of quality steel products in all major markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging. ArcelorMittal is present in more than 60 countries and has an industrial footprint in over 20 countries.

For decades, ArcelorMittal and its predecessors (Inland Steel, Ispat Inland, LTV Steel and Bethlehem Steel) have relied on Graycor for construction services throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.