In the 1930s, the Soviet government adopted a policy of creating a coal and metallurgical complex beyond the Urals, where industry had previously been virtually nonexistent. This led to the industrial development of vast territories in the Urals, Western, and Eastern Siberia.

Improving the operational durability of rails is currently one of the most pressing challenges facing metallurgical companies producing rolled rails. Research conducted in recent years indicates that the most significant impact on rail operational durability is the contamination of steel with oxide non-metallic inclusions. Particularly important are so-called brittle oxide inclusions, which pose the greatest risk of developing contact fatigue defects during rail operation.

Rails are one of the most important elements of the track superstructure, significantly affecting the safety of freight and passenger transportation. Furthermore, rails constitute the most expensive component of the railway infrastructure. These factors are the main reason for the stricter quality requirements for rails from their main consumer, Russian Railways.

Rails are one of the most important elements of the track superstructure, significantly affecting the safety of freight and passenger transportation. Furthermore, rails constitute the most expensive component of the railway infrastructure. These factors are the main reason for the stricter quality requirements for rails from their main consumer, Russian Railways.

Fusion welding of magnesium and aluminum results in the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds, which significantly reduce the performance of the structures. Therefore, explosion-welded magnesium-aluminum adapters of various designs are commonly used. Two types of joints are most commonly used: 1) the MA2-1–AD1–AMg6 composite, suitable for operation at temperatures ranging from –196 to +100 °C, preventing overheating of the AD1–MA2-1 interface during arc welding; 2) the four-layer MA2-1–VT1-0–AD1–AMg6 composite, designed for operation in the temperature range from –196 to +500 °C. The strength of such joints in the direction normal to the interface between the layers is determined by the properties of the weakest of the constituent materials, which is usually the aluminum interlayer, which acts as a ductility buffer and diffusion barrier. As the interlayer thickness decreases (usually characterized by the relative thickness χ = h/d, where h is the interlayer thickness and d is the diameter of the test specimen), the contact hardening effect begins to manifest itself. A graph-analytical method was previously developed for calculating the strength of composites with soft interlayers, providing results acceptable for practical use. The development of the finite element method and the creation of software packages based on it, such as SIMULIA/ABAQUS, has made it possible to more accurately model the behavior of various processes—from hydrodynamic flows of molten metals and temperature fields in heated slabs for rolling to the deformation of composite materials with layers that differ significantly in strength characteristics.

The process flow for producing iron ore pellets involves pelletizing the raw material to produce wet pellets at the low-temperature stage and heat-strengthening the pelletized raw material at the high-temperature stage. After this, the oxidized pellets are suitable for long-distance transportation to consumers and subsequent smelting or metallization. Heat-strengthening the pellets, including drying, heating, and firing, uses 100% process fuel (20–25 m3/t) and 80% electricity (5–10 kW h/t) on incinerating conveyor machines, where the primary structure formation (porosity and interparticle mineral bonding) occurs. The formation of pore shape and size, as well as the nature (open or closed) of porosity during firing, are difficult to control, as they are superimposed by numerous accompanying physical and chemical processes. Pelletization of wet iron ore charge at the low-temperature stage of the process in a pelletizer is free from external thermal and structure-forming influences. By using advanced methods of jet thermal action on the pelletized charge and new functional capabilities of various pelletizer types, it is possible to reduce pellet heat treatment costs, increase the productivity of process units, and create a structure optimal for subsequent roasting and final reduction and heat treatment.

When sulfur-containing fuels are burned, sulfur oxides are formed: sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3). Sulfur oxides, as well as acids formed when they combine with water vapor in the atmosphere (H2SO3 and H2SO4), have a harmful impact on human health, causing the death of coniferous forests, reduced agricultural yields, and the acidification of water bodies. Furthermore, sulfur oxides cause corrosion of steel structures and the deterioration of various building materials. In the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide emitted from a chimney oxidizes under the influence of sunlight to sulfur trioxide, which then transforms into sulfuric acid. The lifetime of sulfur oxides and their transformation products in the atmosphere (according to various studies) ranges from several hours to several days, during which time they can be transported by air currents over enormous distances (up to 1000 km). This is the phenomenon of long-range and ultra-long-range transport of sulfur oxides. For this reason, a paradoxical situation has arisen in some European countries, where, for example, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and some other countries receive more sulfur oxides as a result of transport than they emit themselves.

Cold rolling rolls operate under the simultaneous action of residual, contact, bending stresses, thermal loads, and torque. Therefore, the working surface of the rolls must have high strength, toughness, wear resistance, heat resistance, and hardness. Heat-resistant, high-hardness tool steels, which combine heat resistance (600–700°C) with high hardness (HRC 63–68) and increased resistance to plastic deformation, best meet all these requirements.

During heating in furnaces, metal oxidation occurs, a complex process consisting of several stages: oxygen diffusion from the core of the gas flow to the surface of the heated parts; oxygen adsorption on this surface; diffusion of reactants through the oxide layer toward the oxygen; and crystallochemical transformations associated with changes in the composition and lattice structure of the solid phases.

Thermal insulation material is an air-filled structure. This paper demonstrates the possibility of obtaining a generalized characteristic for different refractories using porosity (i.e., the proportion of air in the refractory volume) as an input factor.

In composite galvanic coating (CGC) technology, metal (nickel, chromium, iron, copper, etc.) is crystallized from electrolyte suspensions containing a modifier as an additive. This modifier is typically a powdered substance whose particles are incorporated into the metal matrix forming on the surface of the product. According to the study, improving the characteristics of CGC requires increasing the dispersion level of the strengthening phase and, ultimately, using it with nanoscale particles. This improves the quality of galvanic deposits by reducing porosity and micro-roughness; promotes the formation of a matrix with an equilibrium subgrain structure and a uniform particle content; improves the physical and mechanical properties of the coatings by implementing the effect of dispersion strengthening and reducing internal stresses; and expands the technological capabilities of the CGC production process due to insignificant sedimentation of nanoscale particles in electrolyte suspensions and increased adsorption of ions and other additives. These circumstances predetermine the constant desire of specialists working in the field of CGP technology to use highly dispersed materials, including nanomaterials, as a strengthening phase.

Currently, there is a shortage of the primary reducing agent used in metallurgical processes—coke made from scarce sintering coal. Therefore, a search is underway for new, promising carbonaceous materials capable of fully or partially replacing coal coke in a wide range of metallurgical processes. Furthermore, due to the oversupply of thermal coals on the fuel market, coal mining companies are actively seeking new sales outlets [1, 2]. Consequently, a very promising area is the search for options for replacing coal coke in a number of metallurgical processes with raw and processed thermal coals. Brown coals are particularly attractive in this regard due to their significant reserves and relative low cost. However, the use of raw brown coals as reducing agents in metallurgical processes poses a number of problems.

The sludge storage facility, located on the surface of the above-floodplain terrace of the Tom River, is a storage facility for sludge waste from enterprises located in the industrial zone of JSC EVRAZ ZSMK. Its total area is over 300 hectares with a height of about 25 m. The sludge storage facility is surrounded on all sides by a dam constructed from slag from the converter production and coarse waste from coal enrichment. The studied object, according to the classification of industrial waste dumps by V.V. Tarchevsky, by origin belongs to the waste dumps of the processing industry of the bulk type; by age - to fresh; by shape - to fields of disturbances with various meso- and microrelief; by height - to medium; by mechanical composition of the substrate on the surface of the dam - to large-sized (stones and blocks over 5 cm); by acidity - from neutral (6.5) to slightly alkaline (8.3); for disposal - to unused.

One of the main types of anthropogenic impact of landfills and solid waste landfills on the environment is air pollution by landfill gas (LFG), formed as a result of the natural biological decomposition of organic components stored in waste landfills. The main components of LFG are methane (40-60%) and carbon dioxide (30-45%). The calorific value of LFG is 18-25 MJ/m3. Methane and carbon dioxide are classified as greenhouse gases, with the greenhouse effect of methane being 21 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. At unsealed Russian landfills, methane formation causes spontaneous combustion, leads to difficult-to-extinguish fires, and releases significant amounts of toxic substances into the atmosphere, which are products of incomplete combustion of combustible waste components (carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides, polycyclic hydrocarbons, including benzopyrene, and chlorofluorocarbons, including dioxins and furans). The formation of SG continues for decades after the cessation of waste acceptance, with the most active phase of gas emission lasting 20–30 years.

Low-smoke briquettes for industrial purposes with high mechanical strength and heat resistance can be produced by using finely dispersed materials with a low volatile content (e.g., coke or semi-coke dust or anthracite) as carbon filler. Lignosulfonate concentrate is recommended as a binder for producing such briquettes using the proposed technology, and in cases of increased sulfur content requirements, mixtures of lignosulfonate (in the form of emulsions) with bitumen, soft pitch, or molasses (a waste product from sugar production) can be used.

The Naphthalene Fraction Crystallization Section (NCCS) is designed to separate naphthalene from the naphthalene fraction and ship it in liquid or solid form. The NCCS ventilation and storage equipment emissions are characterized by a high concentration of sublimated naphthalene and a low content of organic impurities, including phenol, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, etc. The NCCS treats ventilation emissions from four units (hydraulic press-crystallizer-fan) with a capacity of 8,000 m3/h each; With two fans operating simultaneously, the emission volume will be 16,000 m3/h, emissions from 12 air vents of the storage equipment (two pressure tanks, three naphthalene melters, four naphthalene storage facilities, three press runoff collectors) with a volume of 528 m3/h. The basic process flow diagram of the UKNF and catalytic emission purification is presented.

Forming an opinion on the reliability of financial statements that is adequate to reality is the primary goal of a modern audit. Society and the business environment expect the auditor to provide an objective opinion on the activities of organizations and the reliability of financial statements. In the process of forming an opinion and presenting the results of the audit in the auditor's report, the auditor is guided by the provisions of audit theory, accumulated experience, and the current regulatory framework. First of all, a clear, unambiguous and consistent regulatory framework for auditing is necessary, which would allow the auditor to form an accurate opinion on the reliability of the statements, and the users of the statements to make the right decisions based on them. According to currently applicable auditing standards, there are two types of opinion on the reliability of financial statements: modified and unmodified. While the methodology and logic for forming an unmodified opinion are more or less clear, the formation of a modified opinion, which is the most common in auditing practice, raises many questions and problems, including those related to the preparation of the auditor's report. It should be noted that reports with a modified auditor's opinion require the user to pay special attention to certain aspects of the audited financial statements.

The Department of Thermal Power Engineering and Ecology is celebrating its 80th anniversary during a challenging period of reform and change in Russia's higher professional education (HPE) system. Technical universities across the country have adopted new educational standards (FSES), which have a number of significant differences from previous standards. These changes are related to the shift in educational concepts and Russia's accession to the Bologna Process. The FSES are based on a competency-based approach, regulating educational outcomes as the development of a set of specific competencies. The new FSES allow universities to independently implement various educational programs that meet not only the standards' requirements but also the current requirements of specific regions and even employers, necessitating individualized work with students. In this sense, the new standards are "student-centered," as they grant students the right to independently choose their educational path. However, it should be noted that this federally guaranteed right is currently difficult to implement in practice in our HPE system.