Case Study: Dust Suppression in Steel Plant
This steel plant is one of the oldest and largest steel plants in the world (about 30,000 employees). Many work stages in the steel plant cause dust. Since most of the building is still from wartime, there are hardly any devices that reduce the dust. In particular, the slag produced during the rolling process forms large amounts of dust.
Aim:
The ageing building will now be modernised step by step. As part of these works, the working conditions of employees should also improve and the vast amount of dust should be reduced in particular. The main focus of the project is the rolling mill and the resulting dust.
Challenges and approach:
We at EmiControls looked at the situation together with our partner. The structural conditions soon made it clear that a solution directly at the dust source was needed. However, this must be arranged in such a way that it does not hinder the work of the employees.
Solution: In order to counteract the production of dust at the rolling mill, we decided to install an H1 System directly on the cylinder of the roller. The H1 System is a high-pressure system to combat dust. The advantage of the H1 System is clearly that it is flexible and can be tailored directly to the needs of the customer.
The plant was completed with a V12s turbine, which will also eliminate dust over a large area around the rolling mill.
We have installed the following components in detail:
a) H1 System consisting of 4 pumps and 130 fixed nozzles, which are mounted directly on the cylinder of the roller.
b) In addition, we have installed a V12s on the rolling mill. The swivel angle of the turbine has been set to 20°, so it can cover the area above the rolling mill and contain the local dust formation. 1.0 nozzles were used for the turbine of the V12s, which consume less water and thus produce a very fine and, above all, very gentle water mist.
Since it is generally loud in the steelworks, the decision was made to go with a V12s turbine. It is the first quiet dust-laying sprayer on the market and thus does not increase the noise level around the roller. Its range is 50 meters.
Empirical values:
Initial measurements have shown an improvement in dust levels of 60%, a very satisfactory result. This and other projects in the steel plant for the protection of the environment have already received praise from prime Minister. Additionally, in 2018, the steel plant ranked among the top 10 companies in the country for the environment in the “Mining and Metallurgy” sector. The initiative was organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). All measures implemented result in an overall reduction in dust emissions of at least 190 tonnes per year.
Another project in the exterior of the steel plant to combat dust is already in preparation.
In the image: The 130 nozzles were installed along the rolling mill and can thus bind dust directly at the source.