Project Report

THE STUDY OF CHARGING EQUIPMENTS

AND TO INCREASE ITS RELIABLITY
At
TATA STEEL

Project Duration: 24th JUNE 2013 to 3rd AUG. 2013

Vocational Training Guide:

Mr. Debashis Chakraborty
Asst. Manager, TATA Steel

Submitted by:

Raushan Kumar Yadav

Roll No. 110985383661
Branch : Mechanical Engineering
Sem : 5th

CERTIFICATE

Ref:- G-BF/

Date:-

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that Rajesh Kumar Sahni is student of the Department of
Electronics & Communication, Roll No-110986185226 Swami Parmanand
Polytechnic College, Mohali (Punjab), has successfully completed his
Vocational training in Tata Steel and he has got training in various sections of G
blast furnace and completed the Project work titled THE STUDY OF
CHARGING EQUIPMENTS AND TO INCREASE ITS RELIABLITY
and Air pollution at RMHS section TATA Steel- Bokaro.
The duration of the project work was from 24th June to 3rd Aug 2013.
I wish him all success in future.

Head Iron Making

(ECE, Deptt.)
TATA Steel- Bokaro

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude towards my
mentor and guide Mr. Debashis Chakraborty whose tireless efforts and help
culminated to make my project work fruitful. It also has been a great experience to
learn from the other members of G Blast Furnace. I would like to especially thank
Mr. A.K. Pathak (Foreman) and would always be indebted towards him. It would not
have been without his peerless efforts and guidance that I have been able to
complete my project work successfully. It has been due to him and my guides
motivation that kept me going through the project work.

I also would like to thank Mr. Awatar Singh (Asst.Foreman), Mr. Raghav Kumar
(Sr.Tech.) Mr.Abid Ali (Tech.) for their guidance in my field work. Finally, I would
like to extend my thanks towards TATA Steel for providing me with this invaluable
learning opportunity.

Mukesh Kumar Sharma

Branch : ME
Sem : 5th

INTRODUCTION
TO
TATA STEEL
FOUNDER: JAMSHETJI NUSSERWANGJI TATA

(1893-1904)

Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata ranks among the

greatest visionaries of industrial enterprise of all
time. Gifted with the most extraordinary
imagination
and
prescience,
he
laid
the
foundations of Indian industry, contributed to its
consolidation, and became a key figure in Indias
industrial renaissance.
The first stake for the steel
plant was driven on a forest-covered plateau in
Sakchi on 27th February 1908. The dream had
come alive, but the dreamer himself was no more
for. Jamshetji had died at Nauheim in Germany in
1904 after his successors to preserve the family
name. His spirit continued to inspire his sons to
carry their fathers dreams to fruition well after his

death.

Jamshetji Tata won himself an

enduring place in Indias history with his unique
courage, commitment and vision.

JEHANGIR RATANJI DADABHAI TATA

(1904-1993)

JRD Tata has been one of the greatest builders and

personalities of modern India in the twentieth
century. He assumed Chairmanship of Tata Sons
Limited at the young age of 34; but his
charismatic,
disciplined
and
forward-looking
leadership over the next 50 years and more, led
the Tata Group to new heights of achievement,
expansion
and
modernization.
Under
his
stewardship, the number of Tata ventures grew
from 13 to around 80, encompassing steel, power
generation, engineering, hotels, consultancy
services, information technology, art and culture,
consumer goods, industrial products, etc.

Numerous national and

international honors were bestowed on JRD Tata.
These included Knight Commanders cross of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany,
Bessemer Medal of the Institute of Metals, London,
and the United Nations Population Award.
Government of India conferred the highest civilian
award of the land, Bharat Ratna to JRD Tata in
1992, For all his colossal achievements, JRD Tata
was a modest, sensitive man, forever espousing
the cause of his employees. His natural love for
people endeared him to all... across the entire
spectrum of society.

CHAIRMAN:RATAN N TATA

The Tata Group since 1991, Ratan N Tata is the

Chairman of Tata Sons, holding company of the
Tata Group, and major Group companies including,
Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services,
Tata Power, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Indian
Hotels, Tata Teleservices and Tata AutoComp. He is
also Chairman of two of the largest private sector
promoted philanthropic trusts in India. During his
tenure, the Group has further expanded its global
reach, with its revenues growing over sixfold to Rs

97,000crore ($21.9 billion).

Mr Tata joined the Tata Group in
December 1962. After serving in various
companies, he was appointed the Director-inCharge of The National Radio & Electronics
Company Limited (Nelco) in 1971. In 1981, he was
named Chairman of Tata Industries, the Group's
other holding company, where he was responsible
for transforming it into the Group's strategy thinktank and a promoter of new ventures in hightechnology businesses.
The government of India
honoured Mr Tata with one of its highest civilian
awards, the Padma Bhushan, on Republic Day,
January 26, 2000. He has also been conferred an
honorary doctorate in business administration by
the Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in
technology by the Asian Institute of Technology,
Bangkok, and an honorary doctorate in science by
the University of Warwick.
Now in the days the Tata family of
enterprises comprises 98 companies in seven
business sectors. This section lists all these
companies under the sectors in which they
operate, besides the two promoter companies of
the group.

BRIEF INTO

G BLAST FURNACE
G blast furnace is one of the major producers of pig iron in TATA STEEL. It
fulfills the needs of its two customers:
LD#1 (Temporary customer)
LD#2 (Permanent customer)
PIG IRON is taken to LD#2 & LD#1and after purification it goes to Slab
Caster by track mounted Torpedo Ladles of 200 tones capacity. This Pig Iron is
the primary input for steel making at LD#2 & LD#1.
Two by-products which are generated in the process of producing hot metal are
BF Gas & Slag.
The slag is granulated at G Blast Furnace and sent to slag granulation &
drying plant by belt conveyer. The dried granulated slag serves as input for
cement making at Lafarge India Ltd.
The BF gas generated is cleaned and sent to gas ring main to be used as fuel in
the works division. Thus, this process not only helps in maintaining the
environment but also results in cost saving to the company.

FIG. shows G BF

G BLAST FURNACE FLOW CHART:-

OVERVIEW
FURANCE

OF

BLAST

Blast furnace diagram

1. Hot blast from Cowper stoves
2. Melting zone (bosh)
3. Reduction zone of ferrous oxide (barrel)
4. Reduction zone of ferric oxide (stack)
5. Pre-heating zone (throat)
6. Feed of ore, limestone, and coke
7. Exhaust gases
8. Column of ore, coke and limestone
9. Removal of slag
10. Tapping of molten pig iron
11. Collection of waste gases

BLAST FURNANCE is a tall, cylindrical, refractory lined furnace for the

production of pig-iron or hot metal for direct conversion into steel.
In a blast furnace, fuel and ore are continuously supplied through the top of the
furnace, while air (sometimes with oxygen enrichment) is blown into the
bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions take place throughout the
furnace as the material moves downward. The end products are usually molten
metal and slag phases tapped from the bottom, and flue gases exiting from the
top of the furnace.
Modern furnaces are equipped with an array of supporting
facilities to increase efficiency, such as ore storage yards where barges are
unloaded. The raw materials are transferred to the stockhouse complex by ore
bridges, or rail hoppers and ore transfer cars. Rail-mounted scale cars or
computer controlled weight hoppers weigh out the various raw materials to
yield the desired hot metal and slag chemistry. The raw materials are brought to
the top of the blast furnace via conveyor belts. Material is charged into the
furnace with the help of hoppers. G blast furnace is equipped with Bell Less
charging system also known as Paul wurth charging system, in which two
numbers of charging hoppers (45m) receives the raw material from the
conveyer belt alternately. The hopper in turn discharges raw materials through a
rotating chute, which can change angle allowing more flexibility in precise
material distribution inside the furnace.
The iron making blast furnace itself is built in the form of a tall
chimney-like structure lined with refractory brick. Coke, limestone flux, and
iron ore (iron oxide) are charged into the top of the furnace in a precise filling
order which helps control gas flow and the chemical reactions inside the
furnace. Four "uptakes" allow the hot, dirty gas to exit the furnace dome, while
"bleeder valves" protect the top of the furnace from sudden gas pressure surges.
The coarse particles in the gas settle in the "dust catcher" and are dumped into a
railroad car or truck for disposal, while the gas itself flows through a venturi
scrubber and a gas cooler to reduce the temperature of the cleaned gas.
The "casthouse" at the bottom half of the furnace contains the

bustle pipe, tuyeres and the equipment for casting the liquid iron and slag. Once
a "taphole" is drilled through the refractory clay plug, liquid iron and slag flow
down a trough through a "skimmer" opening, separating the iron and slag.
Modern, larger blast furnaces may have as many as four tapholes and two
casthouses. Once the pig iron and slag has been tapped, the taphole is again
plugged with refractory clay.

IMPORTANT DATA OF G BLAST FURNACE

Design production

1.8 MTPA

Design productivity

2.27 t/m3/day (on working volume)

Hearth diameter

11.05 meters.

Working volume

2308 M3

Inner Volume

2648 M3

Iron notches

Trough

2 Nos. Non-Drainable Trough

Tuyere

30 No. (double chamber)

Charging system

Belt conveyor & PW Bell Less Top

Furnace top pressure

1.50 bar

Coal injection

43.6 tph, 200 Kg/thm

Cooling system

Cu and CI Staves

Hearth Refractory

Super Micro pore Carbon Brick

Special Probes

Hot Stoves
Gas Cleaning Plant

Above Burden Probe

Multi Point Vertical Probe
Under Burden Probe
Tuyere probe
Profilometer
4 Nos. External Combustion Stoves
Waste Heat Recovery System
Dust catcher
Cyclone
Two Stage Ventury (wet scrubber)

INTO THE FURNACE

FURNACE PARAMETERS
Rated daily hot metal production: 5200 t
Max. Wind can be blown 250Km3 per hour with 6% Oxygen enrichment
Hot blast temperature 1175 deg C
Max blast pressure 3.5 bars
High top pressure 1.5 bars
REFRACTORIES USED
Furnace has no refractory above the tuyere up to throat.
HEARTH
Super micro pore carbon bricks are used for longer campaign life.
One layer of high conductivity carbon block above graphite for the hearth pad
to maximize the cooling.
Two rows of cooling water pipes has been provided for the under hearth
cooling. Supermicropore carbon and one layer of mullite (High alumina) blocks
have been installed which have an optimum resistance to hot metal penetration.
Large no. of thermocouples has been provided at all levels in the hearth area for
monitoring hearth temperature.
BUSTLE PIPE AND TUYERE STOCK
High alumina refractory bricks, arch type
High alumina precast special bricks
Mortar for high alumina bricks
With this lining, the expected temp on external shell will be 85 deg with
following conditions;
HBT 1250 deg
Wind flow rate 250Knm3/hr.
HOT BLAST MAIN and MIXING CHAMBER
High alumina ref bricks, mortar & cartable.

THROAT/HIGH STACK/MID STACK

High alumina special bricks for stave ribs
Mortar for high alumina bricks
Gunned refractory materials
Inject able refractory behind the staves

COPPER STAVES ZONE

Gunned refractory materials.
Inject able refractory material behind the staves.

CI STAVES ZONE
Ramming mix between cast iron staves
Ramming around copper staves
Silicon carbide bricks (Bosh)
Mortar for silicon carbide.

OUTSIDE THE FURNACE:

CAST HOUSE:
# CASTING
Casting is the process of tapping out liquid metal & slag from blast furnace and
separating them out. Casting is done in cast house. With two tap holes, casting
can be done either from single tap hole or both the tap holes. Normally casting
duration is 2-3 hrs/cast.
Hot metal is poured into torpedo ladles with the help of tilting runner. The
torpedo ladle of 300 t capacities is placed below the cast house floor on railway
tracks and are filled alternately using tilting runner.
Slag after passing through runners, goes for granulation, which is a process of
breaking slag in to small particles by spraying high pressure water on hot
stream of slag. Granulated slag is used for making cement.

# MUD GUN
One is in each cast house to stop the tap hole after casting is over. The mud gun
can be operated from the control desk situated in each cast house. Operation is
characterized by three movements.
1) Slewing forward: This order is given by a lever on the control desk.
2)Ramming: Once the required mass has been injected, the machine remains in
ramming position depending on the quality of the mass used or from the
taphole opening technique selected (normal drill or soaking bar).
3) Slewing backward: The machine reaches its rest position and can be cleaned
and refilled for the next operation.
It has piston ramming pressure 200 bar.
Maximum swiveling angle : 109 deg
Plugging gun angle
: 10 deg,
Nozzle inner dia
: 200 mm.
Clay injection rate
: 3-4 liters/second
Slewing time
: 15-20 seconds*adjustable
Clay barrel diameter
: 480 mm
Height of the gun
: 1500 mm approx
# TAP HOLE OPENER:
One tap hole opener in each cast house to open the tap hole. To have the
possibility of opening the hole with rotation only and to safe guard the tap hole
mushroom it is equipped with modern hydraulic technique, such as
Drill diameter
: 38-70mm
Drill speed
: 0.1 - 0.15 m/Sec
Drill angle
: 8 - 12 deg- Normal 10 deg

Driving mode
Flushing air pressure
Flushing air flow
Water flushing pressure

: Full hydraulic
: 6 to 10 bars
: 2700 liter/minute at minimum pressure
: 2 to 5 bars

# INSTRUMANTATION:
Rotation position transmitter mounted on the hydraulic feed motor for drill
depth measurements and Automation (automatic switch on and off of hammer)
of drilling after the tap hole drill has reached its exact working position.
Normal drilling with forward hammering.
# IRON RUNNER & TILTING RUNNER
Cast able covered iron runner, which takes hot metal to tilting runner in each
cast house, which are also made of cast able. With this tilting runner, two
torpedoes placed on railway tracks beneath the cast house, are filled up
alternately. Tilting runner in both the cast houses is pneumatically driven.

# SLAG RUNNERS:
Slag runners in both the cast houses are also made of castable and completely
covered. Through these slag runners, slag goes to granulation cold runners,
which are three in numbers.
# CAST HOUSE CRANE:
One over head crane in each cast house of Capacity 35T/5T.Where all
movements are initiated by a portable control unit hanging from the crane and
operator can also operate it, sitting in a cabin provided in the crane. One Jib
crane has been provided to transfer loads from cast house A to Cast house B.
# SLAG GRANULATION PLANT:
There are three no of cold runners. Slag coming from any cast house, can be
diverted to any three cold runners. However #1 is normally used for tap hole A
and #3 for tap hole B whereas #2 for any of the above tap holes.
Cold runner #1 & 2 are connected to granulation pit #1 where as cold runner #
3 is connected to granulation pit # 2.These two granulation pits are inter
connected also.
As soon as hot liquid slag enters into any cold runner, it comes in contact with
high pressure water jet and slag gets granulated. The granulated slag with water

goes to granulation pit.

Granulation pit is basically a filter bed. Water gets filtered out from lower part
of granulation pit and again goes to water reservoir for granulation.

Each granulation pit is equipped with individual over head crane to transfer
granulated slag from pit to series of belt conveyors. This granulated slag goes
to slag drying plant where from it is finally sent to cement making plant.
There is separate water pump house equipped with three big (Q-1275m) and
two small water circulating pumps to feed water to cold runners.

STOCK HOUSE

It handles the raw materials. After collecting all the raw materials in their
respective bin it is now screened via weigh feeder and weighed in weigh
hopper to its full capacity or as per the requirement. From
weigh hopper through discharge feeder it is fed on to MB#1 conveyor. From
MB#1 conveyor material is fed on to MB#2 conveyor and it is collected in
the P/W hoper through Tilting Rocker.

Process description:
1. From storage bins raw materials are being fed on to screener via weigh feeder.
2. Weigh feeder feed rate is V/F control, so its feed rate can be adjusted to our
requirement for efficient screening. No screener is provided for (below bin1 to 6)
fluxes/additives.
3. The screened material is collected in weigh hopper to its full capacity or as per the
burden table requirement.
4. The under size of screener in case of ore and sinter is fed onto FC#2 conveyor.
5. From FC#2 conveyor it is fed onto FC#4 conveyor and it finally discharges it on
to the ground.
6. The undersize of coke screener is taken in FC#1conveyor and recirculated via N/C
circuit to generate coke for bin #9&10 and N/C for bin #6.
7. In case of problem in N/C circuit it can be diverted to conveyor FC#3 through
FC#1 and it discharges the fine coke onto the ground.
8. From weigh hopper materials are fed on to MB#1 conveyor via discharge feeder
as per burden table requirement. It is also V/F control and its feeding on MB#1 can
be controlled.
9. There is a hanging magnet above MB#1 to capture any iron bearing materials that
comes along with the raw material.
11. From MB#1 material is fed on to MB#2 conveyor and through Tilting Rocker it
is taken in P/W hopper.
12. Coke and metallic (ore +sinter+fluxes/additives) are fed separately on to the
MB#1 conveyor.
13. The sequence is Line1-coke, Line2-Metallic, Line3- coke, Line4- Metallic and
the sequence is repeated from line1 to 4.This is called as four charging sequence.
14. The burden table has the flexibility of 12 lines. Line #13 is used for charging
extra coke.The raw material system comprises of different circuits:

Sinter from sinter plant

Coke from coke plant
The ore and additive circuit
Nut coke circuit

SINTER CIRCUIT

Sinter size: - +5 to -50 mm

1. Purpose: Sinter is one of the iron bearing material used in blast furnace to
produce molten iron.

2. Process Description: There are four sources from where sinter can received
in G blast furnace.

Source#1: SP#2
Sinter from SP#2 is fed on conveyor no. #553.
From conveyor #553 sinter is fed on SC#1 conveyor.
From conveyor SC#1 sinter is fed on SC#2 conveyor.
From conveyor SC#2 sinter is fed on SC#3 conveyor.
From conveyor SC#3 via tripper trolley sinter is taken in their respective bins.

Source#2: SP#3
Sinter from SP#3 is fed on SSC#10 conveyor.
From SSC#10 conveyor sinter is fed on SC#3 conveyor.
From conveyor SC#3 via tripper trolley sinter is taken in their respective bins.

Source#3: SP#4
Sinter can also be received from SP#4 via SP#3 through the same route.

Source#4: SP#1
In extreme emergency sinter can also be received from SP#1 via track hopper
through ore circuit.
In extreme emergency sinter can also be received from SP#1 via R.M.H yard
through ore circuit.
In extreme emergency sinter can also be received from SP#1 via R.M.B.B tippler
through ore circuit

COKE CIRCUIT

COKE SIZE: - +34 TO -80 mm

Purpose: Coke is one of the most important raw materials used in the blast
furnace.

Function of coke:
It supplies heat for the melting of iron ore/sinter and slag.
It acts as a reductant for the reduction of iron ore/sinter.

Its being porous provides permeability to the burden.

It gives mechanical support to the burden.

2. Process Description:
Coke from coke plant is taken in KC#1 conveyor via an inclined chute at the tail
end of KC#1.
KC#1 is driven by a 3ph/50hz/414v induction motor and a gear box arrangement.
At the discharge end of KC#1 there is a hanging electromagnet to capture any iron
bearing material that comes along with the coke.
From KC#1 coke is taken into KC#2 conveyor driven by a 3ph/50hz/415v
induction motor and a gear box arrangement.
From KC#2 conveyor coke is taken into KC#3 conveyor which is also driven by a
3ph/50hz/415v electric motor and a set of gear box arrangement.
From KC#3 conveyor via tripper trolley coke is taken into respective coke bins.

ORE CIRCUIT

ORE SIZE: - +10 to -40 mm

ADDITIVES: - +10 to -50 mm

1. Purpose:

Ore is one of the iron bearing material used in blast furnace to produce molten iron.
Fluxes are used in blast furnace to remove the gang material from the blast furnace

in the form of slag.

2. Process Description: There are three sources from where ore/additives can be

received in G blast furnace.

Source #1:- From R.M.H Track hopper

Ore/fluxes from track hopper is fed on OC#1 conveyor via apron feeder. From OC#1
conveyor through a set of conveyor ore/fluxes is received on OC#5 conveyor.
From OC#5 conveyor via ore tripper trolley ore/fluxes is taken in their respective
bins.
Source#2:- From R.M.H Yard

Ore/fluxes from R.M.H yard is fed on mobile hopper by a pay loader .From mobile
hopper through a set of conveyor ore/additives is fed on OC#5 conveyor.
From OC#5 conveyor via ore tripper trolley ore/additives is taken in their respective
bins.
Source#3:- From R.M.B.B Tippler

From R.M.B.B tippler ore/additives is taken on OC#3 conveyor.

From OC#3 conveyor ore/additives is fed on OC#4 conveyor.
From OC#4 conveyor ore/additives is fed on OC#5 conveyor.
From OC#5 conveyor via tripper trolley ore/additives is taken in their respective
bins.

NUT COKE CIRCUIT

NUT COKE SIZE: - +8 to -34 mm

1. Purpose: Coke/Nut coke is one of the most important raw material used in the
blast furnace.

Function of coke:
It supplies heat for the melting of iron ore/sinter and slag.
It acts as a reductant for the reduction of iron ore/sinter.
Its being porous provides permeability to the burden.
It gives mechanical support to the burden.

2. Process Description:
The under size from coke screener KS#1,KS#2,KS#3&KS#4 is fed on FC#1
conveyor.
From FC#1 conveyor through flap gate KFFG1 coke is taken on vibro feeder
KFF1.
From KFF1 coke is fed on NC#1 conveyor.
From NC#1 coke is fed on vibro feeder KFF2.
From KFF2 coke is taken on NC#2 conveyor.
From NC#2 coke is fed on double deck screen KFS1.
Over size of upper deck screen KFS1 (+34 mm) is fed on NC#3 conveyor.
From NC#3 conveyor coke is taken in bin #9 or #10 through flap gate
KFFG2.
Over size of lower deck screen (+8 to 34 mm) is fed on NC#4 conveyor.
The under size of double deck screen is taken in hopper KFB1.
From KFB1 coke fines is periodically discharged through vibro feeder
KFF3/ KFF4.
From KFF3/KFF4 coke fines is fed on NC#5 conveyor.
From NC#5 conveyor coke fines is fed on FC#3.
Finally FC#3 discharges it on to the ground.

REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
G Blast Furnace is governed by the central and state pollution control board
requirement and the department proactively fulfills all the regulatory
requirements. The department is accredited with ISO 14001 certification for

sound environmental management system. Under this department all the legal/
statutory requirements related to pollution control, waste disposal and safety
are met.
The department has a dedicated team to monitor and improve safety, health and
environmental processes with the support of central team. A safety, health and
environmental committee have been constituted at the department level, which
ensures implementation of all statutory and non statutory needs. G Blast
Furnace adheres to all the financial disciplines and prescribed under various
acts, such as income tax, sales tax etc. All employees have voluntarily signed
the Tata code of conduct, emphasizing corporate ethical behavior. Apart from
this, the department also has an annual safety plan and environment plan which
forms the part of this AOP document to address issues involving safety and
occupational health needs.

SOURCES OF DUST

 BINS/BUNKERS/SILOS

BELT CONVEYORS
VIBRO-SCREENS
VIBRO FEEDERS
BUCKET ELEVATORS
TRANSFER POINTS
BLAST FURNACE

CONTROLLING AIR POLLUTION

Clean Air is an essential resource to the people surrounding the Industrial
establishments. The Air pollution is one of the main problems of the
Environmental Pollution. The Industrial waste gases directly harm peoples
health and also affect further development of the Industries.
Now a days Electrostatic Precipitators have come a long way and are widely
used in all major Power Plants, Chemical Industries, Cement Industries & Steel
Industries. They absorb more than 99% of dust particles and other substances
while passing through the ESP and the exhaust gases coming out of chimney
are with in the Emission Standard prescribed by Central Pollution Control
Board.

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS

In all industries the burnt gases are passing through an Equipment called
Electrostatic Precipitator to eliminate the dust particles.
In the simplest terms, a Precipitator is a large box. The dust-laden gases are
drawn into one side of the box. Inside, high voltage electrodes impart a
negative charge to the particles entrained in the gas. These negatively charged
particles are then attracted to a grounded collecting surface, which is positively
charged.
The gas then leaves the box up to 99.9% cleaner than when it entered.

Electrostatic Precipitator removes dust particles from the exhaust gas stream of
a process industry. Often, the process involves combustion, but it can be any
industrial process that would otherwise emit dust particles to the atmosphere.
There are six activities that take place:
Ionization Charging of particles
Migration - Transporting the charged particles to the collecting surfaces
Collection - Precipitation of the charged particles onto the collecting surfaces
Chargedissipation - Neutralizing the charged particles on the collecting
surfaces
Particle dislodging - Removing the particles from the collecting surface to the
hopper
Particle removal - Conveying the particles from the hopper to a disposal point

STEEL INDUSTRY
Dust emission problems in the sintering plant of the Steel Factory mainly arise
from the exhaust gases from the combustion zones and from the ventilation air
out of crushers, sieves, coolers, and loading stations. The average dust emission
level is about 1520 kg/tonne of sinter which is returned to the process when
collected. Blast furnaces may have outputs upto 20003000 tonnes/24 hr. Waste
gas is produced at a rate of approximately 4000 m3 at STP per tonne of pig iron
with a dust content after coarse separation of approximately 10 gm/m3. The
dust contained in the exhaust gas extracted from the top of the blast furnace
mainly consists of iron oxide, silica, and lime. The draft required to suck the
flue gases and fumes out of the stock house and cast house is generated with
the help of an ID Fan. The Stock house ID Fan at the G blast furnace has a
capacity of 400000 cubic meters/ hr with rated power of 696 BKW while the
one at cast house has a capacity of 650000 cubic meters/hr with rated power of
1002 KW.
EMISSION & DISCHARGE LEVELS FROM G BLAST FURNACES.

a) Stack Emission (mg/Nm3)

Parameters

SPM

SO2

NOx

Norms

150

"G" Bl. Fce. Stoves

22.7-34.7 237-247 59-86

"G" Bl. Fce. Cast House Chimney

57.9-78.7 0.2

"G" Bl. Fce. Stock House Chimney 21.8-32.7 0.1

0.2-0.3
0.1

b) Work Area Environment (mg/m3)

Sl. No.

Norms Actual Value

Cast House "G" Blast Furnace

10

Stock House "G" Blast Furnace 10

0.79-2.2
1.54-3.10

ESP CIRCUITS FOR CAST HOUSE AND STOCK

HOUSE

Fig. shows stock house ESP Circuit

Fig. shows cast house ESP circuit.

COMPONENTS OF ESP
The devices used for gas solid separation, Electrostatic Precipitators has the
widest of application in view of its various advantages. It can handle Large
volume of gases from which solid particles are removed. The critical
components of Electrostatic Precipitator are indicated below.

COLLECTING ELECTRODE
PLAIN BEARING
SUPPORT INSULATOR
SHAFT INSULATOR
EMITTING ELECTRODE
SHOCK BAR
RAPPING HAMMERS
GAS SCREEN SHEET

COLLECTING ELECTRODE

Collecting plates are designed to receive and retain the precipitated particles
and then removed into the hopper. In addition, the collecting plates are part of
the electrical power circuit of the precipitator. Baffle plates

shield the

precipitated particles from the gas flow. And smooth surfaces provide for high
operating voltages. Collecting plates are suspended from the precipitator casing
and form the gas passages of the precipitator.
Collecting plates are connected at or near the center by rapper beams, which
then serve as impact points for the rapping system. Top, center, or bottom
spacer bars may be used to keep the collecting plates aligned. This maintains
electrical clearances to the discharge system. ESP Collecting Electrodes are
manufactured from steel strip which is cold roll formed to the desired profiles.

DISCHARGE/EMITTING ELECTRODE

Discharge electrodes emit charging current and provide voltage. This generates
an electrical field between the discharge electrodes and the collecting plates.
The electrical field forces dust particles in the gas stream to migrate towards
the collecting plates. Finally the particles precipitate onto the plates. Common
types of discharge electrodes include
straight round wires
twisted pairs of wires
barbed discharge wires
rigid masts
rigid frames
rigid spiked pipes
spiral wires
Discharge electrodes are typically supported from the upper discharge frame
and are held in alignment between the upper and lower discharge frames. The
upper discharge frame is in turn supported from the roof of the precipitator
casing. High-voltage insulators are incorporated into the support system. In
weighted wire systems, the discharge electrodes are held taut by weights at the
lower end of the wires.

GAS DISTRIBUTION SCREEN

These Screens are of modular design manufactured out of Steel sheets and hang
within a frame work in the ESP inlet casing to maintain uniform distribution
pattern of gas flow throughout the cross section of ESP

SUPPORT AND SHAFT INSULATOR

The whole emitting frame system is suspended from the roof through
Supporting Insulator to avoid any short circuiting.
The Rapping Mechanism Shaft for electrodes is connected to the driving
mechanism through Shaft Insulator

RAPPING MECHANISM

The collecting electrodes are fixed loosely to suspension beams on pins. They
are joined together in the bottom rapping beam. Both, the firm bottom and the
top loose attachment provide a perfect transfer of energy from the rapping
hammers to the entire row of collecting electrodes. The rapping is carried out in
regular, programmed intervals and guarantees removal of deposited dust from
the electrodes to the hoppers.
Tumbling Hammers Strike the collecting plates and rigid electrodes directly, so
that all areas receive proper rapping acceleration and no energy is lost to
support structure.

HOPPERS

Precipitator hoppers are designed to completely discharge their dust load on

demand. Usually the hoppers are rectangular in cross-section with sides of at
least 60 slope. They are insulated from the neck above the discharge flange
with the insulation covering the entire hopper area. In addition, the lower 1/41/3 of the hopper wall may be heated. Discharge diameters are generally 8" 12".

The G Blast furnace has in total 3 ESPs, one at the stock house and two at the
cast house (one being in standby). Also there are total 8 dust extraction
systems. The stock house ESP sucks only the dust generated at the site while
the one at cast house has to handle both dust and fumes.

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE ESP USED AT G B.F.

STOCK HOUSE ESP
ESP Size: 15.75x41x43.8
Gas Volume (Max.): 400000 cubic meters/hr.
Gas Temperature (Normal): 50 deg Celsius.
Gas Temperature (Max): 70 deg Celsius.
Design Pressure: -650 mm WC
Inlet Dust Loading : 13.2 gms/cubic Am.
Outlet Emission Ambient air Quality : 50 mgm/N-cub.meters.
Ambient air Quality: Max 5mgm/N-cub.meters above ambient condition at
1.5m from the source.
Treatment Velocity: 1.28m/sec.
No. of Precipitators: 1
No. of Chambers per Precipitator: 1
No. of Gas Passages (for ESP)/chamber: 18
Collecting surface height: 12.49 m
Collecting Surface length: 4.49 m
Collecting Surface Spacing: 400 mm
No. of Fields, Total (per ESP): 3
T/R set Quantity (for ESP)/sizes: 3nos. 800 mA, 110 KV(P).

CAST HOUSE ESP

ESP Size: 15.75x45x43.8
Gas Volume (Max.): 650000 cubic meters/hr.
Gas Temperature (Operation): 80 deg Celsius (may vary between 50 to 120 deg
Celsius )
Design Temperature (Operation): 120 deg Celsius.
Design Pressure: -650 mm WC
Inlet Dust Loading : 3-5 gms/cubic Am.
Outlet Emission Ambient air Quality : Max 2 mgm/N-cub.meters.
Treatment Velocity: 1.32m/sec.
No. of Precipitators: 1
No. of Chambers per Precipitator: 1
No. of Gas Passages (for ESP)/chamber: 23
Field height: 45 feet
Collecting Surface length: 4.45 m
Collecting Surface Spacing: 400 mm
No. of Fields, Total (per ESP): 3
T/R set Quantity (for ESP)/sizes: 1st: 800 mA, 110 KV(P).
2nd and 3rd : 1250 mA, 110 KV.
Type of Hopper: Pyramidal.
Hopper Valley Angle: 55 deg.

FEATURES OF ESP
Generally ESP
- can collect dust in both wet and dry conditions;
- can collect all sizes of particles, from microns
to coarsers;
- probably the most versatile collecting equipment;
- offers the highest efficiency, can be designed
in principle for any
- efficiency without excessive pressure drop;
- operates with low operation cost (though initial cost is more);
- can operate over a wide range of inlet conditions, i.e., temperature,
pressure, dust burden, humidity, etc.;
- offers negligible pressure drop (rarely crosses 1015 mm); can be built in
multiple units, for almost any gas volume;
- has a long life, comparatively free from abrasioneffect due to low operating
velocity

FACTORS AFFECTING THE PERFORMANCE OF ESP

CORONA POWER

Precipitator corona power is the useful electrical power applied to the flue gas
stream to precipitate particles. Either precipitator collecting efficiency or outlet
residual can be expressed as a function of corona power in Watts/1000 acfm of
flue gas, or in Watts/1000 ft of collection area.
The separation of particles from the gas flow in an electrostatic precipitator
depends on the applied corona power. Corona power is the product of corona

current and voltage. Current is needed to charge the particles. Voltage is needed
to support an electrical field, which in turn transports the particles to the
collecting plates.
In the lower range of collecting efficiencies, relatively small increases in
corona power result in substantial increases in collecting efficiency. On the
other hand, in the upper ranges, even large increases in corona power will result
in only small efficiency increases. Equally, in the lower range of the corona
power levels, a small increase in the corona power results in a substantial
reduction in the gas stream particle content. In the upper range of the corona
power level, a large increase is required to reduce the particle content .

OPTIMISING CORONA POWER

Optimum conditions depend upon the location of the field (inlet, center, outlet),
fly ash characteristics (resistivity), and physical conditions (collecting plates
and discharge wires). Corona power levels can be optimized by adjusting or
optimizing the following:
1. Gas velocity:

Uniformity

2. Fly ash: Particle size , Resistivity

3. Voltage controls: Spark rate setting, Current & voltage limits
4. Design: Plate spacing, Collecting plate and discharge electrode design
5. Rapping system: Frequency and intensity
6. Support insulator: Purge air system operation

PREVENTIVE MAINTAINANCE CHECKLIST FOR AN ESP

DAILY

Take and record electrical readings and transmitter data.

Check operation of hoppers and ash removal system

 Examine control room ventilation system

Investigate cause of abnormal arcing in
T-R enclosures and bus dust.
WEEKLY
Check rapper operation
Check and clean air filter
Inspect control set interiors
MONTHLY
Check operation of standby top-housing pressurizing fan and
thermostat.
Check operation of hopper heaters.
Check hopper level alarm operation
QUARTERLY

Check and clean rapper and vibrator switch contacts.

Check transmissometer calibration

HALF YEARLY
Clean and lubricate access-door dog bolt and hinges.
Clean and lubricate interlock covers.
Clean and lubricate test connections.
Check exterior for visual signs of deterioration, and abnormal
vibration, noise, leaks
YEARLY
Conduct internal inspection
Clean top housing or insulator compartment and all electrical
insulation surfaces.
Check and correct defective alignment.
Examine and clean all contactors and inspect tightness of all
electrical connections.

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH ESP

Discharge electrode failure; Rapper malfunctioning;

Dust building; Transformer / Rectifier Failure; Hopper choking

Overfilling of dust hoppers

Electrode breakage

Misalignment and jamming in rapping mechanism

High gas flow

Hopper heater failure

Insulator failure due to dust build up.

MAJOR CAUSES OF PROBLEMS IN ESP

Problem
Excessive
Gas
Volume
Rapping

Causes
The ESP is not designed properly
Hot excess air
Air Leakage
High Gas Temp.
Acceleration is not high enough
Electrode arrangement is not right
Failure of rapper motors

Gas
Distribution

Model study not carried out or carried out incorrectly

Discharge
Electrode
Breakage

Electrode is not strong enough to overcome flash voltage and

high intensity rapping
Corrosion resistant material for electrode is not chosen

Discharge
Overflow in
Hoppers

Improper designing capacity of hopper

Coal quality changes beyond the range
Dust evacuation is not proper
Level Switch not acting properly
Choking of dust hoppers

Electrical

Dust build up on electrodes

Insulator breakdown
Misalignment of electrode
Failure to maintain dust hopper

TROUBLESHOOTING

DUST ACCUMULATION
The most common cause of excessive dust accumulation on electrodes is a
failure of the rapper control system. Unless there is reason to suspect otherwise
(known high resistivity potential of the ash or other indications of hopper
plugging), this should be one of the first areas checked if power
input to the ESP decreases markedly. Checks of the control system will include:
i. Make sure that the power is on and that the fuse or circuit breaker has not
been opened.
ii. Check for proper operation of the switch and drive on rotary switches.
iii. Check manufacturer recommended procedures for testing rapper control
systems.
Rapper failure is also a potential cause of dust accumulation. The ESP's use
magnetic impulse/gravity impact type rappers.
A common cause of failure of this type of rapper is a short in the coil that
lifts the rapper. Methods for correcting this problem include:
i. Replace the defective rapper with a new one.
ii. Rebuild the defective rapper.
Corrective action for misalignment can only be done during a complete ESP
shutdown. Corrective actions include:
i) Plate straightening by: hydraulic press, localized heating with an
oxy/acetylene torch followed by water quench, remove the warped section of
a plate with a cutting torch and replace it. Major rebuilding will require
removal of the top of the ESP and replacement of entire plates.
ii) Wire correction: Bent wire frames or lower guide frames often cause the
wires to slacken and bow towards the plates. Distorted lower guide frames are
often difficult to straighten and may have to be replaced. If the distortion is not
too serious and only a few wires are slack, then they can be removed. The wires
can be tightened by crimping them in the direction of gas flow.
iii) General misalignment caused by a shift in guide frame components can
usually be corrected by realigning the frame.
Air Infiltration
Routine inspections of the ESP will reveal any locations of air infiltration into
the unit. Correction of this problem involves simple sealing of the leaking joint,
surface or door/hatch gasket.

DENSE PHASE PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

SYSTEM FOR ESP

INTRODUCTION
Below each of the two ESP Hopper outlets, a surge hopper with a level sensor,
a manual isolation gate and a model 3/8 vessel is mounted. The 3/8 vessel
system operates on the principle of dense phase pneumatic conveying, in which
the material is transferred along the pipeline at a velocity lower than the
saltation velocity of the bulk material. But this velocity, which will be different
for each application, the material is not required to homogeneously mixed with
the conveying medium. The material moves along the pipelines in a series of
dunes or batches between air pockets. This conveying required permits a
degree of material velocity well below the saltation velocity, therefore
avoiding the usual problems of high material velocities in the pipeline.
The 3/8 vessel is fitted with a pressure tight dome valve which
can close through a static head of bulk material. It also has a bottom transition
vessel exit bend and a controlled air supplying system to the side of the
conveying vessel.
Almost all 3/8 vessel systems are provided with normally
closed dome valve operation. With this arrangement the dome valve opens for a
timed interval, allowing the vessel to fill with the material. Once the vessel is
filled, the dome valve closes. The pneumatic seal inflates against the dome, and
the vessel is pressurized with a gas, usually air. Material resistance causes
temporary and partial pressure increase in the vessel, which conveys the
material to the storage silo. During the material transfer in the pipeline air
pressure is reducing progressively. When the material reaches the silo, the
pressure drops down the near atmospheric pressure which is sensed by the
control system. The air supply to the vessel is terminated and the dome valve
opens to accept the next charge of materials.
When the 3/8 vessel is not operating continuously on
repeated cycles, the dome valve remains closed and vessel remains empty of
material. The complete system is made automatic by the use of programmable
logic controller.

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

Below each of the two ESP Hopper outlets, a surge hopper with a level sensor,
a manual isolation gate and a model 3/8 vessel is mounted. When the
pneumatic conveying system is switched on (i.e. start command from ACC
PLC, level in the storage silo not high, sufficient pressure for conveying,
sufficient air pressure available for instrumentation, level in the surge hopper 1
or 2 has reached and the chain conveyer has switched on) only then all the 2
nos. inlet dome valve of the 3/8 vessel will open with fluidisation of surge
hoppers to allow fly ash to fill the respective 3/8 vessel below by gravity. All
the dome valves will then close with preset retentive timers and closing
confirmation is taken by the PLC with position limit switch for inflating the
dome valve seal. Seal pressure is confirmed through a pressure switch and only
thereafter compressed air from a dedicated air receiver is introduced into the
first 3/8 vessel(i.e. master vessel) and fly ash from the two 3/8 vessel is
conveyed in low velocity dense phase regime through a common 100 NB
conveying pipe into the storage silo.
Simultaneously two timers (on delay) are switched on for
minimum blow time and pipeline block time. Once the pipeline is fully flushed
with the minimum blow time, low air pressure signal is sensed through pressure
switch to cut off compressed air supply. After a time delay, seal is deflated and
after restart time of 5 or 10 secs the cycle is repeated.
Conveying air shall be cleaned and vented to the atmosphere
through the existing bag filter near the storage silo.

PROBLEMS, THEIR CAUSES AND REMEDIES IN THE

CONVEYING SYSTEM

PROBLEM

CAUSE

REMEDY

Valve will not

open/close

Inadequate air pressure

Ensure correct supply

of air

Valve will not

open/close

No control signal to
solenoid

Check control functions

and outputs

Valve will not

open/close

Solenoid fault

Check, repair or replace

solenoid

Valve will not

open/close

Wiring fault

Check, repair or replace

wiring

Seal will not inflate

No control signal to
solenoid

Check control function

and output.

Seal will not inflate

Inadequate air pressure

Ensure correct supply

of air.

Seal will not inflate

Solenoid fault

Check, repair or replace

solenoid

Seal will not inflate

Wiring fault

Check, repair or replace

wiring

Seal will not inflate

Air limit switch fault

Replace defective air

limit switch.

Seal will not inflate

Air limit not correctly

adjusted

Adjust defective air

limit switch.

Seal will not inflate

Seal rupture

Replace defective seal

Seal will not inflate

Blocked muffler on
quick exhaust of air
limit switch

Replace muffler

Pneumatic conveying
cycle not starting

PLC not receiving some

or all inputs.

Check wiring properly.

Pipeline blocked alarm

on control panel

Excessive loading of
material into pipeline.

Shut off the air supply

from regulator and
depressurise the system
and push the material
with manual override of
solenoid valve with the
help of air. If unable to
clear choke, remove the
flange of pipeline and
clear it.

CPU fault indication in

the PLC.

The programme may

have corrupted or
blanked.

Check the programme

of PLC by connecting
in the line with PC
through communication
cable and reload if
required.