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Gas Safety

In
Iron Making
Working of a Blast Furnace

• The purpose of a Blast Furnace


is to chemically reduce and
physically convert iron oxides
into liquid iron called "hot metal".

contd.
Chemical Reactions
1) 3 Fe2O3 + CO = CO2 + 2 Fe3O4

Begins at 850° F / 460° C


2) Fe3O4 + CO = CO2 + 3 FeO
Begins at 1100° F / 600 ° C
3) FeO + CO = CO2 + Fe or
FeO + C = CO + Fe
Begins at 1300° F / 700° C
Blast Furnace Operation
Blast Furnace

SGP Slag Hot Metal


100-250 gm/m3

Raw Blast Furnace Gas


SMS

Dust Dust Catcher


Sintering
Plant Dust Gas Cleaning
Plant
5-10 mgm/m3

Cleaned BF Gas
Cleaning of Raw BF Gas
B.F.
B.F. GAS
NETWORK
EQUALISING
LINE
DIA. 700 MM
DUST
CATCHER

SCRUBBER

ESP-1 ESP-2

A-1 A-2 A-3 ‘U’ SEAL

T.A.
Gas inlet TRT not in operation,
300,000nm3/hr normal operation
NEW GAS
1.8 bar,g
200 ºC

CLEANING
410 m3/hr
PLANT OF
B.F. - 7
Water outlet
642 nm3/hr
55 ºC

240 m3/hr
3 Lines
3 AGEs
Water inlet
650 m3/hr.
33 ºC

Gas outlet
36.7 ºC
0.100bar,g
5 g/nm3 moisture content

BSP
TYPICAL ANALYSIS OF STEEL
PLANT GASES
S.NO. CONSTITUENTS B.F.GAS COKE OVEN L.D.CONVERTER
GAS GAS

Combustible part
1. Carbon Monoxide 19-21% 8.7% 55 – 60 %

2. Hydrogen 3% 59.2% 2.4%

3. Methane - 24.4% -

Non combustible part


1. Nitrogen 54.9% 2.1% 22.4%

2. Carbon dioxide 19.8% 3.2% 19.2%

3. Oxygen 0.2% 0.3% 0.8%

Note : Gas Composition may vary from one plant to


other plant
PROPERTIES OF GASES
S.NO. PROPERTIES B.F.GAS COKE OVEN GAS L.D.GAS

43%-74% 6-30% 20%-70%


1. Explosive range
Explosive Highly Explosive Explosive

2. 1.33 Kg/Nm3 0.46 Kg/Nm3 1.37 Kg/Nm3


Density Heavier than air
Lighter than air Heavier than
air
3. Calorific value 773 KCal/NM3 4300 KCal/NM3 1800 TO 2100
KCal/NM3

4. Toxicity Very Poisonous Slightly Deadly


poisonous poisonous
5. Colour Colourless Colourless Colourless

Having smell of
6. Odour Odourless Odourless
H2S and
naphthalene

7. Flame colour Blue Yellow Blue


GAS HAZARDOUS AREA IN B.F.
• Category I area: Extremely hazardous
areas

• Category II area: Very hazardous areas

• Category III area: Hazardous areas


Category -I AREA IN B.F.
It Includes:
• Furnace top bleeders and platform
• Dust catcher top bleeders and platform,
• Dust catcher at the time of de-dusting
• All the jobs and repairs like Goggle
plates operation, Blanking/Deblanking,
Cleaning of impulse line etc.
• Furnace shell area.
Safety Precautions in Category I areas
• Protocol is must (wherever reqd.)
• Clearance to be obtained on a
prescribed form
• Use of breathing apparatus (Gas Mask)
is recommended
• Use of CO detectors is a must
• Work in groups
• Wind indicators
Category -II area in B.F.
It Includes:
• All platforms around shaft of the furnace.
• Distributor platform.
• Lubricating rooms near the distributor.
• Work on slag holes.
• Repair jobs inside the inter bell space
during short-downs.
• Stove platforms.
• Gas Cleaning Plant- All Equipments
Safety Precautions in Category II areas

• Protocol to be prepared for cutting/


welding job
• CO sampling must be done
• Clearance to be obtained on a prescribed
form
• Use of breathing apparatus (Gas Mask) is
recommended
• Use of Personal CO monitors must be
ensured
Category -III Area in B.F.
• Stair-case from ground to the top of the
furnace.
• Dust catcher
• Foundation area of the furnace.
• Stoves under repairs.
• Control rooms
• Furnace hearth platforms, near slag holes
and tuyeres , cast house.
• LIVE Gas line and equipments.
Safety Precautions in Category III
areas

• CO sampling must be done


• Use of Personal CO monitors must be
ensured
• Protocol to be made for cutting/
welding jobs
Possibilities of gas exposure in GCP of
Blast Furnaces
 Breaking of Water seal in
1. SCRUBBER 2.ATOMISERS
3.ESP’s 4.Float Chambers
5.Drain pot
• Breaking of Water ‘U’ Seal of Clean gas
collector
• Shell plate leakages of Scrubber, Atomizers
and Throttle Assemble.
• Improper Closing of winch operated bleeders
Contd.
From Pre-slide

 Unburned gas released from Excess gas


burners
• Gas leakages from adjacent pipeline
• Improper Closing of bleeders
• Uncovered slime channels
• During nozzle flushing of scrubber, atomisers
& T.A.
• During water level checking of GCP
equipment
WINCH CUTOFF VALVE
OPERATED BF GAS
BLEEDER

TO GCP SCRUBBER

BF GAS
DUST
CATCHER
DUST
BLEEDER A1
A2 A3

EQUALISING
VALVE
4 WATER COLLECTOR

9 NOZZLES IN EACH
WATER COLL.

RAW GAS LINE


SCRUBBER

STEAM
water
GAS VALVE

FLOAT
CHAMBER
SCRUBBER
Throttle

WATER
VALVE
SCRAPER
ROD
DRAIN
VALVE
SCRUBBER ATOMISER
THROTTLE ASSEMBLY

Water
collector
Carbon Monoxide
Gas Exposure
Carbon Monoxide Gas Exposure

SAIL: Bhilai Steel Plant 23


 Dizziness
 Headache
 Mental dullness
 Yellowness in front of
eyes
 Tightness in chest
 Weakness in limbs
 Vomiting
 Unconsciousness
SAIL: Bhilai Steel Plant 24
First
First aid
aid practices
practices are:
are:

 Do not become panic. ??

 Take the victim in fresh air .


 Loose tight fitting clothes.
 If conscious, take longer breath.
 If unconscious, take victim to the
nearest medical centre.
 Provide mechanical /artificial
respiration.
 Always monitor the affected area.
During
During Gas
Gas Exposure
Exposure

DO NOT
 Crowd around the victim.
 Leave victim alone.
 Allow him to sleep.
 Give anything to eat or drink.
 Allow victim to run.
 Ignore any symptoms.
Safe
Safe Limit
Limit of
of Carbon
Carbon
Monoxide
Monoxide inin Air
Air
Threshold limiting value (TLV) for
8 work hours day :
50ppm or 0.05 mgms/lt
Short term exposure limit (STEL)
for 15 minutes TLV exposure :
400ppm or 0.456 mgms/ lt
Detection of Gas Leakage
• Watch wind direction.
• Monitor near by areas with portable CO
monitor
• Evacuate people in the direction of wind
• Wear breathing apparatus if CO conc. is high.
• Check Valves, flanges & throttles .
• Watch for visible gas leakage spot on gas line
• Carefully listen if any hissing sound of gas
leakage is present.
• Call Gas Safety
• Watch for water droppings.
• Watch for discoloration of down below
structures and pipeline.
Action to be taken During gas
Leakages
• Approach from the direction of wind.
• Breathing apparatus is must.
• Cordon Off the Entire area.
• Monitor gas concentration in the area.
• Identify the source of leakage
• Asses the direction of gas flow.

Contd.
From Pre-slide

• People wearing Gas mask should be


allowed to work at the affected area.
• Contact gas dispatcher to reduce gas
network pressure (if reqd).
Keep Ready:
• Sufficient Nos. of Breathing
apparatus.
• CO. Monitor Instruments.
• Gas leakage arresting kit.
• Emergency Vehicle.
Case Study -1
Blast Furnace 4
Dust Catcher Platform
6th March 2007, 11.35 AM
Bhilai Steel Plant
Case Briefing
After filling the dust into four dump
cars, dust valve could not be closed

Heavy BF gas leakage at


the dust catcher platform

3 Casualties
1 Fatal
Layout
Stove Area Affected
BF- 4 Area
Remote opening
Persons
switch +11.2 mt level
Approach
Dust valve
winch Dust
Catcher
Furnace Cut
off valve
winch
Sec. Dust Housing
valve
Winch
winch
Room Dust valve dia
D/C 600 mm
bleeder
winch Victim +6.4 mt level
Approach
Furnace cut off valve
Dust Catcher
operating panel
bleeder opr panel

ROAD
Observations
• Due to the absence of any level sensor, valve
closing is totally dependent on the skill &
experience of the operator. Slight delay in
closing can cause heavy leakage of BF gas.
• Dust valve motor was found out of
foundation & all coupling bolts except one
were broken.
• Slight delay in reducing the Blast to 0.25-0.3
kg/cm2 from 1kg/cm2

Contd.
From Pre-slide

• Only route to the winch room was through

dust catcher platform.


• No gas detection & alarm system was
installed.
• Insufficient escape routes.
• No system of checking of dust valves
before operation.
Recommendations
• Dust catcher winch drive should be shifted
to safer platform to prevent people from any
gas exposure.
• A joint inspection of dust valve winch drive
should be done by Opr, Elect & Mech
before every dust valve operation.
• Automatic CO gas monitor with alarm
system should be installed on the dust valve
platform.
Contd.
From Pre-slide

• Before entering into gas prone area


it should be ensured that gas conc.
is within the safe limits.
• One Gas Mask to kept at FFCR of
each Blast Furnace.
• Provision of wind indicator may be
made
Case Study - 2
BRIEFING

• Blast Fce gas line of BF-6 stove


no.19 was isolated.

• Steaming carried out for one hour.


• Sample taken and found 100% gas
in it.
LAYOUT

Stove-20
Steam line

Stove-19
Isolated

Stove-18

Dia1200mm Blast Furnace gas line


OBSERVATIONS
• Sample was showing normal in
presence of inert media.
• Sample showed 100% gas on closing
inert media.
FINDINGS
• Gas was entering to isolated gas line through
connected steam line.
• Branch steam line valves were not
disconnected / blanked.
RECOMMENDATIONS

• Purging connection not in use should


be isolated / disconnected.

• Purging media to be disconnected after


purging.

• Sample should be taken after


disconnecting the purging point.
Hazards can be controlled, if we
follow the safe work procedure.
one error can cause extensive
damage to the plant & may toll
human lives.

“Gas is a good servant,


But a bad master”.
THANK YOU

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