Metallurgy. Metallurgical complex of Russia - the main centers of metallurgy and problems

Metallurgy- (from the Greek metallurgeo - I mine ore, process metals) - the field of science and technology, industry. Metallurgy includes:

Production of metals from natural raw materials and other metal-containing products;

Obtaining alloys;

Processing of metals in hot and cold condition;

Application of metal coatings;

A field of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metals, intermetallic compounds, and alloys.

Metallurgy is associated with the development, production and operation of machines, apparatus, units used in the metallurgical industry.

Varieties of metallurgy

Metallurgy is divided into ferrous and non-ferrous. Ferrous metallurgy includes the extraction and enrichment of ferrous metal ores, the production of cast iron, steel, and ferroalloys. To ferrous metallurgy also include the production of rolled ferrous metals, steel, cast iron and other products from ferrous metals. Non-ferrous metallurgy includes mining, enrichment of non-ferrous metal ores, production of non-ferrous metals and their alloys. Coke chemistry and the production of refractory materials are closely related to metallurgy.

Ferrous metals include iron. All others are colored. According to their physical properties and purpose, non-ferrous metals are conditionally divided into heavy (copper, lead, zinc, tin, nickel) and light (aluminum, titanium, magnesium).

According to the main technological process, it is divided into pyrometallurgy (smelting) and hydrometallurgy (extraction of metals in chemical solutions). A variation of pyrometallurgy is plasma metallurgy.

The most common metals are:

1) Aluminum

Ferrous metallurgy

Ferrous metallurgy serves as the basis for the development of machine building (one third of the metal produced goes into machine building) and construction (1/4 of the metal goes into construction).

Ferrous metallurgy composition

Ferrous metallurgy includes the following main sub-sectors:

Extraction and enrichment of ferrous metal ores (iron, chromium and manganese ore)

Extraction and enrichment of non-metallic raw materials for ferrous metallurgy (fluxed limestones, refractory clays, etc.);

Production of ferrous metals (pig iron, carbon steel, rolled products, metal powders ferrous metals);

Manufacture of steel and cast iron pipes;

coxo chemical industry(production of coke, coke oven gas, etc.);

Secondary processing of ferrous metals (cutting scrap and waste of ferrous metals).

Metallurgical cycle of ferrous metallurgy

The actual metallurgical cycle is the production

1) iron and blast furnace production,

2) steel (open-hearth, oxygen-converter and electric steel-smelting), (continuous casting, CCM),

3) rolling (rolling production).

Enterprises producing pig iron, carbon steel and rolled products are classified as metallurgical enterprises full cycle.

Enterprises without iron smelting are classified as so-called conversion metallurgy. "Small metallurgy" is the production of steel and rolled products at machine-building plants. Combines are the main type of ferrous metallurgy enterprises.

Raw materials and fuel play an important role in locating the full-cycle ferrous metallurgy, especially the role of combinations of iron ores and coking coal.

Non-ferrous metallurgy

Non-ferrous metallurgy is a branch of metallurgy that includes the extraction, enrichment of non-ferrous metal ores and the smelting of non-ferrous metals and their alloys. By physical properties and purpose, non-ferrous metals can be conditionally divided into heavy (copper, lead, zinc, tin, nickel) and light (aluminum, titanium, magnesium). Based on this division, the metallurgy of light metals and the metallurgy of heavy metals are distinguished.

Location of industry enterprises

The location of non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises depends on many economic and natural conditions, especially from the raw factor. A significant role, in addition to raw materials, is played by the fuel and energy factor.

Several main non-ferrous metallurgy bases have been formed on the territory of Russia. Their differences in specialization are explained by the dissimilarity of the geography of light metals (aluminum, titanium-magnesium industry) and heavy metals (copper, lead-zinc, tin, nickel-cobalt industries).

Heavy metals

The production of heavy non-ferrous metals, due to the small need for energy, is confined to the areas of extraction of raw materials.

In terms of reserves, extraction and enrichment of copper ores, as well as copper smelting, the Ural economic region occupies a leading place in Russia, on the territory of which Krasnouralsky, Kirovgradsky, Sredneuralsky, Mednogorsky combines stand out.

The lead-zinc industry as a whole gravitates towards areas where polymetallic ores are distributed. These deposits include the Sadonskoe ( North Caucasus), Salair ( Western Siberia), Nerchenskoye ( Eastern Siberia) and Dalnegorskoye (Far East).

The centers of the Nickel-Cobalt industry are the cities of Norilsk (Eastern Siberia), Nikel and Monchegorsk (Northern Economic Region).

light metals

To obtain light metals, it is required a large number of energy. Therefore, the concentration of enterprises that smelt light metals near cheap energy sources is the most important principle of their location.

The raw materials for aluminum production are bauxites from the North-West region (Boksitogorsk), the Urals (the city of Severouralsk), nephelines of the Kola Peninsula (Kirovsk) and southern Siberia (Goryachegorsk). Aluminum oxide - alumina - is isolated from this aluminum raw material in mining areas. Obtaining metallic aluminum from it requires high costs electricity. Therefore, aluminum plants are built near large power plants, mainly hydroelectric power plants (Bratskaya, Krasnoyarsk, etc.)

The titanium-magnesium industry is located mainly in the Urals, both in the regions where raw materials are extracted (the Berezniki titanium-magnesium plant) and in the regions of cheap energy (the Ust-Kamenogorsk titanium-magnesium plant). The final stage of titanium-magnesium metallurgy - the processing of metals and their alloys - is most often located in areas where finished products are consumed.

Story

The first evidence that a person was engaged in metallurgy dates back to 5-6 millennia BC. e. and have been found at Majdanpek, Pločnik and other sites in Serbia (including a 5500 BC copper ax belonging to the Vinca culture), Bulgaria (5000 BC), Palmela (Portugal), Spain, Stonehenge (UK). However, as is often the case with such long-standing phenomena, the age cannot always be accurately determined.

In the culture of early times, silver, copper, tin and meteoric iron are present, which allowed limited metalworking. Thus, the "Heavenly daggers" were highly valued - Egyptian weapons created from meteoric iron 3000 BC. e. But, having learned to extract copper and tin from rock and receive an alloy called bronze, people in 3500 BC. e. entered the Bronze Age.

Obtaining iron from ore and smelting metal was much more difficult. The technology is believed to have been invented by the Hittites around 1200 BC. e., which marked the beginning of the Iron Age. The secret of mining and making iron became a key factor in the power of the Philistines.

Traces of the development of ferrous metallurgy can be traced in many past cultures and civilizations. This includes the ancient and medieval kingdoms and empires of the Middle East and the Near East, ancient Egypt and Anatolia (Turkey), Carthage, the Greeks and Romans of ancient and medieval Europe, China, India, Japan, etc. It should be noted that many methods, devices and technologies of metallurgy were originally invented in Ancient China, and then the Europeans mastered this craft (inventing blast furnaces, cast iron, steel, hydraulic hammers, etc. .).

However, recent research suggests that Roman technology was much more advanced than previously thought, especially in mining and forging.

Mining metallurgy

Mining metallurgy is to extract precious metals from ore and smelting the extracted raw materials into pure metal. In order to convert a metal oxide or sulfide into a pure metal, the ore must be separated by physical, chemical, or electrolytic means.

Metallurgists work with three main components: raw materials, concentrate (valuable metal oxide or sulfide) and waste. After mining, large chunks of ore are crushed to such an extent that each particle is either a valuable concentrate or waste.

Mining is not necessary if the ore and environment allow for leaching. In this way, you can dissolve the mineral and get a mineral-enriched solution.

Often, the ore contains several valuable metals. In such a case, waste from one process can be used as feedstock for another process.

Metal properties

Metals in general have the following physical properties:

Hardness.

Sound conductivity.

High melting point.

High boiling point.

At room temperature, metals are in solid state(with the exception of mercury, the only metal that is liquid at room temperature).

The polished surface of the metal shines.

Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity.

They have a high density.

Metal Applications

Copper has ductility and high electrical conductivity. That is why it has found its wide application in electrical cables.

Gold and silver are very viscous, viscous and inert, therefore they are used in jewelry (especially gold, which does not oxidize). Gold is also used to make non-oxidizing electrical connections.

Iron and steel are hard and durable. Due to these properties, they are widely used in construction.

Aluminum is malleable and conducts heat well. It is used to make pans and foil. Due to its low density - in the manufacture of aircraft parts.

Alloys

An alloy is a macroscopically homogeneous mixture of two or more chemical elements with a predominance of metallic components. The main or only phase of the alloy, as a rule, is a solid solution of alloying elements in the metal, which is the basis of the alloy.

Alloys have metallic properties, such as metallic luster, high electrical and thermal conductivity. Sometimes alloy components can be not only chemical elements, but also chemical compounds with metallic properties. For example, the main components of hard alloys are tungsten or titanium carbides. The macroscopic properties of alloys always differ from the properties of their components, and the macroscopic homogeneity of multiphase (heterogeneous) alloys is achieved due to uniform distribution impurity phases in a metal matrix.

Alloys are usually obtained by mixing the components in the molten state, followed by cooling. At high melting temperatures of the components, alloys are produced by mixing metal powders followed by sintering (this is how many tungsten alloys are obtained, for example).

Alloys are one of the main structural materials. Among them highest value have alloys based on iron and aluminum. Non-metals, such as carbon, silicon, boron, etc., can also be introduced into the composition of many alloys. More than 5 thousand alloys are used in technology.

Alloys used in industry differ in their purpose.

Structural alloys:

Duralumin

Structural with special properties (e.g. intrinsic safety, anti-friction properties):

To fill bearings:

For measuring and electric heating equipment:

Manganin

For making cutting tools:

will win

The industry also uses heat-resistant, low-melting and corrosion-resistant alloys, thermoelectric and magnetic materials, as well as amorphous alloys.

The most commonly used alloys are aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, nickel, titanium and zinc. Much effort has been devoted to the study of alloys of iron and carbon. Ordinary carbon steel is used to create cheap, high-strength products where weight and corrosion are not critical.

Stainless or galvanized steel is used when corrosion resistance is important. Aluminum and magnesium alloys are used when strength and lightness are required.

Copper-nickel alloys (such as monel metal) are used in corrosive environments and for the manufacture of non-magnetizable products. Nickel-based superalloys (eg Inconel) are used at high temperatures (turbochargers, heat exchangers, etc.). At very high temperatures, single crystal alloys are used.

Metallurgical production is a field of science, technology and an industry that covers various processes for obtaining metals from ores or other materials, as well as processes that improve the properties of metals and alloys.

The introduction of alloying elements in certain amounts into the melt makes it possible to change the composition and structure of the alloys, improve their mechanical properties, and obtain the desired physical and chemical properties.

It includes -

mines and quarries for the extraction of ores and coal;

mining and processing plants, where ores are enriched, preparing them for smelting;

coking plants, where they prepare coal, coke it and extract useful chemical products from it;

energy workshops for the production of compressed air (for blowing blast furnaces), oxygen, purification of metallurgical gases;

blast furnace shops for smelting iron and ferroalloys or shops for the production of iron ore metallized pellets;

plants for the production of ferroalloys; steel-smelting shops (converter, open-hearth, electric steel-smelting) for steel production;

rolling shops, in which steel ingots are processed into rolled products: beams, rails, rods, wire, sheet.

The main products of ferrous metallurgy:

cast irons

conversion, used for redistribution into steel,

foundry - for the production of shaped iron castings at machine-building plants;

iron ore metallized pellets for steelmaking;

ferroalloys (iron alloys with a high content of Mn, Si, V, Ti, etc.) for smelting alloyed steels;

steel ingots for the production of rolled products, sheets, pipes, etc.;

steel ingots for the manufacture of large forged shafts, turbine rotors, disks, etc., called forging ingots.

Non-ferrous metallurgy products:

non-ferrous metal ingots for the production of rolled products (corner, strip, bars);

ingots (pigs) of non-ferrous metals for the manufacture of castings at machine-building plants;

ligatures - non-ferrous metal alloys with alloying elements, necessary for the production of complex alloyed alloys for castings;

ingots of pure and ultra-pure metals for instrument-making, electronic engineering and other branches of mechanical engineering.

2. MATERIALS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF METALS AND ALLOYS

For the production of iron, steel and non-ferrous metals use ore, fluxes, fuel and refractory materials.

industrial ore is a natural mineral formation containing any metal or several metals in concentrations at which it is economically feasible to extract them. The ore consists from ore mineral containing one valuable element(e.g. iron, manganese) or several valuablemetals- complex ores (polymetallic), for example, copper-nickel ores, ferromanganese, chromium-nickel, etc. In addition to ore minerals, the composition of the ore includes waste rock - minerly, which are separated from ore minerals during enrichment or pass into slag during smelting.

Depending on the content of the extracted metal, ores are rich and poornye. Before using ore enrich, i.e. part of the waste rock is removed from the ore. The result is a concentrate with a high content of mined metal. The use of the concentrate improves the technical and economic performance of metallurgical furnaces.

Fluxes are materials uploaded into the melting furnace for the formation of kov - fusible compounds with gangue ore or concentrate and fuel ash.

The slag is usually less dense than the metal, so it sits above the metal in the furnace and can be removed during the smelting process. The slag protects the metal from furnace gases and air. Slag is called sour, if in its composition the ratio of basic oxides (CaO, MgO, etc.) to acid oxides (SiO 2, P 2 O 5) is not more than 1.5, and basic, if this ratio is 2.15 ... 4.

Fuel are combustible substances, the main component of which isxia carbon, which are used to obtain thermal energy by burning them. In metallurgical furnaces isuse coke, natural gas, fuel oil, up toexchangeable (top) gas.

Coke is obtained at coking plants in coke ovens by dry distillation at a temperature > 1000 °C (without air access) of coking grades of coal. Coke contains 80 ... 88% carbon, 8 ... 12% ash, 2 ... 5% moisture, 0.5 ... 0.8% sulfur, 0.02 ... 0.2% phosphorus and 0.7 ... 2% volatile products. For blast-furnace smelting, coke must contain a minimum amount of sulfur and ash. Pieces of coke should have dimensions of 25 ... 60 mm. The coke must have sufficient strength not to collapse under the action of charge materials.

Natural gas contains 90 ... 98% hydrocarbons (CH 4 and C 2 H 6) and 1% nitrogen. Fuel oil contains 84 ... 88% carbon, 10 ... 12% hydrogen, a small amount of sulfur and oxygen. In addition, blast furnace or top gas is used, which is a by-product of the blast furnace process.

Refractory materials - these are materials and products mainly based on mineral raw materials with a fire resistance of at least 1580 ° C. They are used for the manufacture of the inner lining (lining) of metallurgical furnaces and ladles for molten metal. the refractoriness of a material is the ability to withstand, without melting, exposure to high temperatures. For chemicalproperties of refractory materials sectionlay on

sour,(dinas, quartz clay), Materials containing a large amount of silica SiO 2., for example quartz sand(95% SiO 2), dinas brick, the fire resistance of which is up to 1700 ° C

basic, containing basic oxides (CaO, MgO), - basic (magnesite brick and metallurgical powder, magnesite-chromite brick, the fire resistance of which is more than 2000 ° C).

neutral. (chamotte brick--A1 2 oz, )

IRON PRODUCTION

The power and prosperity of the state depends on the efficiency of the economy and military potential. The development of the latter is impossible without the development of metallurgy, which in turn is the basis of mechanical engineering. Today, the focus is on the metallurgical complex of Russia and its importance for the industrial and economic sphere of the country.

General characteristics of the metallurgical complex

What are mining and metallurgical complexes? This is a set of enterprises that are engaged in mining, enrichment, metal smelting, production of rolled products and processing of secondary raw materials. The following industries are part of the metallurgical complex:

• Ferrous metallurgy , which is engaged in the smelting of steel, iron and ferroalloys;
• Non-ferrous metallurgy , which is engaged in the production of lungs (titanium, magnesium, aluminum) and heavy metals(lead, copper, tin, nickel).

Rice. 1 Metallurgical plant

Principles of location of enterprises

Enterprises of the mining and metallurgical complex are not placed randomly. They depend on the following factors for the placement of metallurgy:

• Raw material (physical and chemical features of ores);
• fuel (what type of energy must be used to obtain the metal);
• Consumer (geography of distribution of raw materials, main sources of energy and availability of transport routes).

Rice. 2 Fuel factor of metallurgy placement

Main metallurgical bases

All of the above factors have led to an uneven distribution of metallurgical enterprises. Entire metallurgical bases were formed in some territories. In Russia, there are three:

• central base - this is a fairly young center, the foundation of which is the iron ores of the area of ​​the Kursk magnetic anomaly, the Kola Peninsula and Karelia. The main production centers are the cities of Lipetsk, Stary Oskol and Cherepovets;
• Ural base - this is one of the largest centers of metallurgy in Russia, the main centers of which are Magnitogorsk, Novotroitsk, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil and Krasnouralsk;
• Siberian base - This is a center that is still in the development stage. Main source - Kuznetsk coal and iron ore from the Angara and Mountain Shoria. The main center is the city of Novokuznetsk.

Comparative characteristics and scheme of work of the metallurgical bases of Russia can be presented in the following table:

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Non-ferrous metallurgy

Based on the purpose and chemical and physical characteristics and properties, non-ferrous metals are divided into:

• Heavy (copper, lead, tin, zinc, nickel);
• Light (aluminum, titanium, magnesium);
• Precious (gold, silver, platinum);
• Rare (zirconium, indium, tungsten, molybdenum, etc.)

Non-ferrous metallurgy is a complex of enterprises that is engaged in the extraction, enrichment and metallurgical processing of non-ferrous, noble and rare metals.

In this chain, aluminum, copper, lead-zinc, tungsten-molybdenum and titanium-magnesium industries are distinguished. In addition, this also includes enterprises for the production of precious and rare metals.

Non-ferrous metallurgy centers in Russia

The centers of the aluminum industry are Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Sayansk and Novokuznetsk. Large aluminum plants located in these cities are developing on the basis of their own raw materials from the Urals, the North-West region and Siberia, as well as imported ones. This production quite energy-intensive, so the enterprises are located near hydroelectric power plants and thermal power plants.

The main center of the copper industry of our country is the Urals. Enterprises use local raw materials from the Gaisky, Krasnouralsky, Revdinsky and Sibaysky deposits.

The lead-zinc industry of the mill depends on the extraction of polymetallic ores, and therefore is located near the places of their extraction - Primorye, the North Caucasus, Kuzbass and Transbaikalia.

Rice. 3 Gold mining in Chukotka

Problems and prospects

There are problems in every industry. The metallurgical complex is no exception. Among the main problems of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy are the following:

• high energy consumption;
• low capacity of the domestic market;
• high level of depreciation of fixed production assets;
• lack of certain types of raw materials;
• destruction of the process of reproduction of stocks of raw materials and ore;
• technological backwardness and insufficient introduction of new technologies;
• shortage of professional staff.

But all these issues can be resolved. In the global market metallurgical products Russia continues to be a major player. The share of Russian metallurgy in world production accounts for more than 5% of steel, 11% of aluminum, 21% of nickel, and more than 27% of titanium. The main indicator of the competitiveness of Russian metallurgy in the foreign market is that the country maintains and even expands its export opportunities.

What have we learned?

Today we learned what is meant by the term "metallurgical complex". This industry is divided into ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. The location of mining, ore dressing, metal smelting, and rolled metal production enterprises has its own characteristics and depends on three factors: raw materials, fuel, and consumer. AT Russian Federation There are three metallurgical bases operating and developing: Central, Ural and Siberian.

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The metallurgical complex includes ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Metallurgy of Russia, providing production and scientific and technical development of almost all industries, based on domestic raw materials, focusing on foreign and Russian consumers. Russia accounts for 14% of commercial iron ore production and 10-15% of non-ferrous and rare metals mined in the world.

In terms of production, consumption and foreign trade turnover, ferrous, non-ferrous and rare metals, as well as their primary products, rank second after fuel and energy resources. Iron ores and primary products of ferrous metallurgy, aluminum, nickel, copper remain an important export of the country. Large metallurgical enterprises are of regional importance. When they occur, a number of interrelated industries are formed - the electric power industry, the chemical industry, manufacturing building materials, metal-intensive engineering, a variety of related industries and, of course, transport.

Ferrous metallurgy

Black metallurgy serves as the basis for the development of mechanical engineering and metalworking, and its products are used in almost all sectors of the economy. It covers the stages technological process, such as the extraction, enrichment and agglomeration of ferrous metal ores, the production of refractories, the extraction of non-metallic raw materials, coal coking, the production of cast iron, steel and rolled products, ferroalloys, the secondary processing of ferrous metals, etc. But the basis of ferrous metallurgy is the production of iron, steel and rolled products.

The territorial organization of ferrous metallurgy is influenced by:

• · concentration of production, in terms of which Russia occupies a leading position in the world - full-cycle metallurgical plants in Lipetsk, Cherepovets, Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Novotroitsk, Chelyabinsk and Novokuznetsk produce more than 90% of pig iron and about 89% of Russian steel;
• production combination, meaning the combination of several interconnected industries in one enterprise various industries;
• Material consumption of production, providing 85-90% of all costs for smelting pig iron (for the production of 1 ton of pig iron, 1.5 tons of iron and 200 kg of manganese ore, 1.5 tons of coal, over 0.5 tons of fluxes and up to 30 m3 of circulating water are used );
• high energy intensity, which is higher than in developed countries peace;
• · high labor intensity at domestic metallurgical enterprises.

The production base of ferrous metallurgy is made up of full-cycle enterprises: pig iron - steel - rolled products, as well as plants producing pig iron - steel, steel - rolled products and separately pig iron, steel, rolled products related to conversion metallurgy. Small-scale metallurgy stands out, or the production of steel and rolled metal at machine-building plants, mainly from scrap metal.

The location factors for ferrous metallurgy enterprises are extremely varied. Ferrous metallurgy of the full cycle is located either near sources of raw materials (Ural metallurgical base, metallurgical base of the central regions of the European part), or near fuel resources (West Siberian metallurgical base), or between sources of raw materials and fuel resources (Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant).

Converting metallurgy enterprises, which mainly use scrap metal as raw materials, are guided by areas of developed mechanical engineering and places of consumption of finished products. Even more closely associated with machine-building plants small metallurgy.

The production of electric steels and ferroalloys is distinguished by special placement factors. Electrostals are produced near sources of electricity and scrap metal (Elektrostal, Moscow Region). Ferroalloys - alloys of iron with alloying metals - are obtained in blast furnaces or by the electrothermal method at metallurgical enterprises and specialized plants (Chelyabinsk).

The natural basis of ferrous metallurgy is the sources of metal raw materials and fuel. Russia is well provided with raw materials for ferrous metallurgy, but iron ores and fuel are unevenly distributed throughout the country.

In terms of iron ore reserves, Russia ranks first in the world, of which more than half are concentrated in the European part of the country. The largest iron ore basin is the Kursk magnetic anomaly, located in the Central Chernozem region. The main reserves of KMA iron ores, recognized as the best in the world in terms of quality, are concentrated in the Lebedinsky, Stoilensky, Chernyansky, Pogrometsky, Yakovlevsky, Gostishevsky and Mikhailovsky deposits. On the Kola Peninsula and in Karelia, the Kovdorskoye, Olenegorskoye and Kostomukshskoye deposits are exploited. Significant iron ore resources are in the Urals, where the deposits (Kachkanarskaya, Tagilo-Kushvinskaya, Bakalskaya and Orsko-Khalilovskaya groups) stretch from north to south parallel to the Ural Range. Iron ore deposits have been discovered in Western (Gornaya Shoria, Rudny Altai) and Eastern Siberia (Angara-Pitsky, Angara-Ilimsky basins). On the Far East the Aldan iron ore province and the Olekmo-Amgunsky district in Yakutia are promising.

Reserves of manganese and chromium in Russia are limited. Manganese deposits are being developed, represented in the Kemerovo (Usinsk) and Sverdlovsk (Midnight) regions, chromium - in Perm region(Sarans).

The largest producer of iron and steel in Russia since the 18th century. remains the Ural metallurgical base, which is the most versatile and provides 47% of ferrous metals in the country. It operates on imported fuel - coal from Kuzbass and Karaganda (Kazakhstan) - and ores from the KMA, Kazakhstan (Sokolovsko-Sorbaisky), the local Kachkanarskoye deposit. There are full-cycle enterprises (Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Chelyabinsk, Novotroitsk), conversion enterprises (Yekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Zlatoust, Lysva, Serov, Chusovoi), production of blast-furnace ferroalloys (Serov, Chelyabinsk), production of pipe rolling (Pervouralsk, Kamensk-Uralsky , Chelyabinsk, Seversk). This is the only region in the country where naturally alloyed metals are smelted (Novotroitsk, Upper Ufaley) and cast iron on charcoal. On the eastern slopes Ural mountains there are enterprises of a full cycle, in the western ones - enterprises of conversion metallurgy.

The second most important is the Central Metallurgical Base, covering the Central Black Earth, Central, Volga-Vyatka, Northern, North-Western economic regions, as well as the Upper and Middle Volga regions. It runs entirely on imported fuel (Donetsk, Pechora coals), its core is TPK KMA.

A number of major enterprises and industries are located on the territory of the Central Metallurgical Base. Cast iron and blast-furnace ferroalloys are smelted in the Central Chernozem region (Lipetsk), the Novolipetsk full-cycle plant is located, and the only electrometallurgical plant in Russia is located in Stary Oskol. In the Central District, there are the Novotulsk full-cycle plant, a plant for smelting foundry iron and blast-furnace ferroalloys (Tula), the Orlovsky steel-rolling plant, the Moscow Sickle and Hammer processing plant, and the Elektrostal plant. The Cherepovets plant, located in the Northern region, uses iron ore from the Kola Peninsula and coal from the Pechora. In the Volga-Vyatka region there are metallurgical plants Vyksy and Kulebak. In the Upper and Middle Volga regions, conversion metallurgy is developing in all machine-building centers - Naberezhnye Chelny, Tolyatti, Ulyanovsk. Engels and others.

AT last years there is a process of intensive reconstruction and technical re-equipment of the industry. However, so far the ferrous metallurgy of Russia in technical and technological terms is significantly inferior to similar industries in developed countries. We still have an outdated technology of open-hearth steel production, a poor assortment of rolled products, and a low share of high-quality metal grades.

Non-ferrous metallurgy

color metallurgy specializes in the extraction, enrichment, metallurgical processing of ores of non-ferrous, noble and rare metals, as well as in the extraction of diamonds. It includes industries: copper, lead-zinc, nickel-cobalt, aluminum, titanium-magnesium, tungsten-molybdenum, precious metals, hard alloys, rare metals, etc.

Non-ferrous metallurgy in Russia is developing based on the use of its own large and diverse resources and in terms of output it ranks second in the world after the United States. Over 70 different metals and elements are produced in Russia. Non-ferrous metallurgy in Russia is 47 mining enterprises, of which 22 belong to the aluminum industry. The regions with the most prosperous situation in non-ferrous metallurgy are Krasnoyarsk region, Chelyabinsk and Murmansk regions, where non-ferrous metallurgy accounts for 2/5 of industrial output.

The industry is characterized by a high concentration of production: JSC Norilsk Nickel produces over 40% of platinum group metals, processes over 70% of Russian copper and controls almost 35% of the world's nickel reserves. In addition, this is an environmentally harmful production - according to the degree of atmospheric pollution, water sources and soil non-ferrous metallurgy surpasses all other branches of the mining industry. The industry also has the highest costs associated with fuel consumption and transportation.

Due to the variety of raw materials used and the wide use of industry products in modern industry, non-ferrous metallurgy is characterized by a complex structure. The technological process of obtaining metal from ore is divided into the extraction and enrichment of raw materials, metallurgical processing and processing of non-ferrous metals. The originality of the resource base lies in the extremely low content of recoverable metal in the ore: copper in ores is 1-5%, lead-zinc ores contain 1.6-5.5% lead, 4-6% zinc, up to 1% copper. Therefore, only enriched concentrates containing 35-70% of the metal enter the metallurgical process. Obtaining concentrates of non-ferrous metal ores makes it possible to transport them over long distances and thereby territorially separate the processes of mining, enrichment and directly metallurgical processing, which is characterized by increased energy intensity and is located in areas of cheap raw materials and fuel.

The main factors in the location of non-ferrous metallurgy affect the territorial organization of industries in different ways and even within the same technological process. Nevertheless, with an extremely diverse set of factors for the location of the main branches of non-ferrous metallurgy, their pronounced raw material orientation is common.

The aluminum industry uses bauxites as raw materials, the deposits of which are located in the North-West (Boksitogorsk), the North (Iksinskoye, Timsherskoye), the Urals (North-Uralskoye, Kamensk-Uralskoye), in Eastern Siberia (Nizhne-Angarskoye), as well as nephelines of the North (Khibiny) and Western Siberia (Kiya-Shaltyrskoye). Due to the shortage of high-quality aluminum raw materials, up to 3 million tons of alumina from bauxites are annually imported into Russia.

The copper industry is one of the oldest branches of non-ferrous metallurgy in Russia, the development of which began in the 16th century. in the Urals. Copper production includes three stages: mining and enrichment of ores, smelting of blister copper and smelting of refined copper. Due to the low content of metal in the ore, the copper industry survived mainly in mining areas. Numerous deposits are being developed in the Urals (Gaiskoye, Blyavinskoye, Krasnouralskoye, Revda, Sibay, Yubileynoye), but the metallurgical processing far exceeds production and enrichment, and due to the lack of own raw materials, imported concentrates from Kazakhstan and the Kola Peninsula are used. There are 10 copper smelters (Krasnouralsk, Kirovgrad, Sredneuralsk, Mednogorsk, etc.) and refining plants (Upper Pyshma, Kyshtym) operating here.

The North (Monchegorsk) and Eastern Siberia (Norilsk) stand out from other regions. In the Trans-Baikal Territory, preparations are underway for the start of the industrial development of the Udokan deposit (the third largest in the world in terms of explored reserves). Refining and rolling of copper in Moscow arose on the basis of the use of copper scrap.

The lead-zinc industry is based on the use of polymetallic ores, and its location is characterized by a territorial gap between individual stages of the technological process. Obtaining ore concentrates with a metal content of 60-70% makes it profitable to transport them over long distances. A relatively small amount of fuel is required to produce lead metal compared to zinc processing. In general, the lead-zinc industry gravitates towards polymetallic ore deposits located in the North Caucasus (Sadon), Western (Salair) and Eastern Siberia (Nerchinsk plant, Khapcheranga), in the Far East (Dalnegorsk). In the Urals, zinc is found in copper ores. Zinc concentrates are produced in Sredneuralsk, and metallic zinc is produced in Chelyabinsk from imported concentrates. Full metallurgical processing is represented in Vladikavkaz (Northern Caucasus). In Belovo (Western Siberia) lead concentrates are obtained and zinc is smelted, in Nerchensk (Eastern Siberia) lead and zinc concentrates are produced. Part of the lead comes from Kazakhstan.

The nickel-cobalt industry is closely connected with sources of raw materials due to the low content of metals in ores (0.2-0.3%), the complexity of their processing, high fuel consumption, multi-stage process and the need for complex use of raw materials. On the territory of Russia, the deposits of the Kola Peninsula (Monchegorsk, Pechenga-Nikel), Norilsk (Talnakhskoye) and the Urals (Rezhskoye, Ufaleyskoye, Orskoye) are being developed.

Further development of the metallurgical complex of Russia should go in the direction of improving the quality of the final types of metal products, reducing production costs and pursuing a resource-saving policy that increases its competitiveness.

The metallurgical industry is a branch of heavy industry that produces a variety of metals. It includes two branches: ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy.

Ferrous metallurgy

Ferrous metallurgy is one of the main basic industries. Its significance is determined primarily by the fact that rolled steel is the main structural material.

Features of the placement of ferrous metallurgy change over time. Thus, the geography of ferrous metallurgy has historically developed under the influence of two types of orientation: towards coal basins (this is how the main metallurgical bases arose in the USA, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and China) and towards iron ore basins. But in the era of the scientific and technological revolution, there is a general weakening of the former fuel and raw material orientation and an increase in orientation towards the cargo flows of coking coal and iron ore (as a result, the ferrous metallurgy of Japan, the countries Western Europe started to gravitate towards seaports) and consumer orientation. Therefore, there is a decrease in the size of the plants under construction and their freer placement.

An assessment of the general geological reserves of iron ore allows us to say that the CIS countries are the richest in iron ore, foreign Asia is in second place, where the resources of China and India are especially distinguished, Latin America is in third place with huge reserves of Brazil, and Africa is in fourth place, where there are large reserves of have South Africa, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Liberia, on the fifth - North America, on the sixth - Australia. World production of iron ore in 1990 for the first time reached the level of 1 billion tons, but at the same time, the total production of only the CIS countries, China, Brazil, and Australia is 2/3 of the global one. Moreover, if 30 - 40 years ago almost all production was concentrated in economically developed countries, now the industry is growing faster in developing countries. Brazil and the Republic of Korea, for example, began to overtake Great Britain and France in steel production.

The main countries - exporters of iron ore are Brazil, Australia, India, and the first two of them account for 1/2 of all world exports.

The main importers of iron ore are the EU countries, Japan, the Republic of Korea.

The main steel-producing countries in the world are now Japan, Russia, USA, China, Ukraine, Germany.

Non-ferrous metallurgy

Non-ferrous metallurgy is about 20 times inferior to ferrous metallurgy in terms of production. It is also one of the old branches of industry, and with the beginning of the scientific and technological revolution, it experienced a great renewal, primarily in the structure of production. So, if before the Second World War the smelting of heavy non-ferrous metals prevailed - copper, lead, zinc, tin, then in the 60-70s aluminum came to the fore, and the production of "metals of the 20th century" - cobalt, titanium, lithium, beryllium, etc. Now non-ferrous metallurgy meets the needs of about 70 different metals.

The location of the enterprises of the industry consists of the fact that the metallurgy of heavy, non-ferrous, alloying and noble metals, in the ore of which the content of a useful component is usually low, usually gravitates towards the countries and regions of their extraction. This, in particular, explains the fact that in a number of countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America The industry dates back to the colonial period. True, in these countries, mainly the lower stages of the production process have developed, and the upper ones - in the USA, Western Europe, and Japan.

In the middle of the 20th century, the increasing focus of Western countries on raw materials from developing countries led to the relocation of enterprises to the sea coasts. After the crises of the 70s, the smelting of non-ferrous metals in Western countries began to decline, and secondary raw materials began to play an important role. The consumer orientation of the industry has increased. New production capacities in these environmentally "dirty industries" are mainly emerging in developing countries. There is a territorial gap between the production and consumption of final products, since the bulk of heavy non-ferrous metals produced in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are consumed in Western countries.

To confirm the above, we can note, for example, the ratio of developed and developing countries in the reserves of copper ore is 30:70, in the production of copper concentrates 40:60, and in the consumption of refined copper: 85:15. The United States stands out in terms of copper mining. Canada, Chile, Zambia, Peru, Australia. The main exporting countries - refined copper - Chile, Zambia, Zaire, Peru, Philippines.

The first 10 countries in the smelting of refined copper are the USA, Chile, Japan, Canada, Zambia, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Peru, the Republic of Korea.

Unlike heavy ores of light non-ferrous metals, primarily aluminum, in terms of the content of a useful component, they resemble iron ore and are quite transportable, so it is quite cost-effective to transport them over long distances. 1/3 of the world's bauxites are exported, and the average distance of their sea transportation exceeds 7 thousand km. This is explained by the fact that about 85% of the world's bauxite reserves are associated with their origin from the weathering crust common in the tropics and subtropics. That is why bauxite reserves are very small or non-existent in most countries of Western Europe, Japan, Canada, as well as in the USA. All of them have to focus primarily on imported raw materials.

Australia, Guinea, Jamaica, and Brazil stand out for the extraction of bauxite. China, India, Suriname, and the first "troika" provides 70% of all production.

The USA, Japan, Russia, Germany, Canada, Norway, France, Italy, Great Britain, Australia are leaders in aluminum smelting.

Both ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy are highly polluting environment Therefore, in recent decades there has been a trend towards the transfer of enterprises to developing countries, due to the strengthening of environmental policy in the economically developed countries of the West.