MTN – 499 Practical Training/Internship Report

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

Pitside Practices in SMS, CFFP

Peyush Gautam (14111029)

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

An engineer with only theoretical knowledge is not a complete

Engineer. Practical knowledge is very important to develop and apply
engineering skills .
It gives me a great pleasure to have an opportunity to acknowledge
and to express gratitude to those who were associated with me
during my training at BHEL.
I am very grateful to Mr. Sunil Kumar for providing me with an
opportunity to undergo training under his able guidance.
Furthermore, special thanks to Mr. Rajendra Singh for his help and
support in Haridwar. Last, but not the least, I would also like to
acknowledge the support of my college friends, who pursued their
training with me. We shared some unforgettable moments together.
I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to BHEL authorities for
allowing me to undergo the training in this prestigious organization.
I will always remain indebted to them for their constant interest and
excellent guidance in my training work, moreover for providing me
with an opportunity to work and gain experience.

THANK YOU
 1. Abstract

Metallurgy is one the important sector of engineering necessary for

every country to meet its requirements. It is used to produce a wide
variety of products ranging from household things to as big as aero-
planes. Metallurgy is concerned with the production of metal from
raw material known as ore.
At BHEL, We were primarily concerned with the operations in CFFP
(Central Foundry Forging Plant). It consists of Foundry block, Forging
block and Pit side Practice block. We visited these blocks and
observed the operations going on there like melting of steel, casting
of steel etc. During my training, I observed the types of furnace used,
type of ingot used and final product obtained. In CFFP, raw material
is first pre-heated to desired temperature after which it is put in
furnace for desired product characteristics. Lime and other necessary
chemicals were added to alter the composition of the product.
Oxygen blowing is also done. Then, it is poured into desired castings
to have a product of desired shape. Product obtained from furnace is
sent to laboratory to test the composition so that it is in tolerable
limits.
I would like to express my deep sense of Gratitude and thanks to
Mr. Sunil Kumar in charge of training in CFFP in B.H.E.L., Haridwar.
Without the wise counsel and able guidance, it would have been
impossible to complete the report in this manner. Finally, I am
indebted to all who so ever have contributed in this report and
friendly stay at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
 2. Central Foundry & Forge Plant (CFFP)

CFFP, basically a metallurgical unit of BHEL, was set up in 1976 at

Haridwar. It is engaged in manufacturing and supply of various types
of steel casting and forgings for the vital sectors like power, defense,
nuclear and space research, shipping, machine building and general
engineering.
It mainly has two shops namely:
 Steel Melting Shop (SMS)
 Forge Shop

3. Steel Melting Shop

Steel Melting Shop (SMS) follows the EAF route of steel making in
which steel is produced through Electric Arc furnaces and cast into
ingot moulds. The ingots are stripped off from the ingot moulds and
are sent to the forging shop for further hardening treatment of the
ingot. The following are sub sections of Steel Melting Shop:
 Scrap Bay
 Furnace Bay
 Pit Side (Teeming Bay)
Scrap Bay

This sub section of steel melting shop is endowed with a role or

obligation to provide the perfect grade of scrap in desired weight
and composition (as required by the planning and technology
section) to be melted and processed in furnaces to get the desired
chemistry of the end product .

 Facilities at Scrap Bay

 One EOT crane equipped with electromagnet of 5T magnet.
 One EOT crane equipped with electromagnet of 10T magnet.
 One weigh bridge of 50T capacity.

 Tasks Performed at Scrap Bay

 Opportune accumulation of returns or waste product from
forge and foundry and other desired scrap generating sections.
 Positive (proper) recognition of the returns from other sections
and their perfect sizing so that they would be usable in the
electric arc furnace.
 Preparation of charge in the charging buckets as per the
requirement.
 Sampling and differentiation of charge.
  Charge
Charge is a mix of scrap and other elements (metallic and non-
metallic)
 Carbon (Hot briquetted Iron [HBI], electrodes of furnace)
 Steel scrap (recycled, purchased or obtained from different
section of plant containing other residuals such as manganese,
sulfur, silicon, phosphorus.

 Scrap Classification
 Reclaimed or obsolete scrap – Scrap material arising from a vast
range of materials beyond useful life including old cars,
demolished buildings, discarded machinery and domestic
objects.
 Industrial or prompt scrap – Ferrous scrap material of all types
arising from current manufacturing operations for immediate
disposal. Normally of uniform characteristics and predictable
quality.
 Revert or home scrap – Scrap generated during the steelmaking
process, e.g. crop ends from rolling operations, metallic losses
in slag, etc.

 Composition of Charge
Factors affecting the composition of charge are chemical
composition, yield, cost and limitations in their use.
Chemical composition is the most important factor among all for
better quality and economic production of steel. There are many
elements present in the scrap which can seriously affect the final
chemistry and mechanical properties of the steel produced.
The potential effects of residual elements on product properties are
summarized below:
 Hot shortness (Cu, made worse in the presence of As, Sn, Sb)
 Seams, cracks, inter-granular weakness (S, P, H)
 Irregularity of mechanical properties on hot-rolled products (W,
Mo, Mn, Cr, Ni, P, N)
 Poor cold forming ability of the hot-rolled material (N, S, P)
 Heat affected zone embrittlement (N, P, H)
On the other hand, yield also plays an effective role in deciding the
charge material otherwise the final weight of liquid metal desired
will not be achieved resulting in short pouring.

The metallic part of the charge constituent is as follows-

 Turning and borings (useful in charge preparation as they play a
cushioning role for heavy returns and prevents damage to
hearth during charging) – (4-10%)
 Industrial Scrap- Plates, angles, channels (also called Universal
scrap)-(40-70%)
 Home Scrap-Broken pieces of cast iron molds
 Rejected pieces of forging and casting

 Preparation of charging buckets

Preparation of the charge bucket is an important operation, not only
to ensure proper melt-in chemistry but also to ensure good melting
conditions. The scrap must be layered in the bucket according to
size and density to promote the rapid formation of a liquid pool of
steel in the hearth while providing protection for the sidewalls and
roof from electric arc radiation. Other considerations include
minimization of scrap cave-ins which can break electrodes and
ensuring that large heavy pieces of scrap do not lie directly in front
of burner ports which would result in blow-back of the flame onto
the water cooled panels.
In terms of the packaging , turning and borings are kept at the
bottom of the bucket to make it tight while heavy returns are kept in
the middle and light charge are again kept on the top of heavy
returns for smooth arcing of electrodes and to avoid electrode
breakage.

Furnace Bay
An Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) used for steelmaking consists of
a refractory-lined vessel, usually water-cooled in larger sizes,
covered with a retractable roof, and through which one or more
graphite electrodes enter the furnace. The furnace is primarily split
into three sections:
 the shell, which consists of the sidewalls and lower steel bowl;
 the hearth, which consists of the refractory that lines the lower
bowl;
 the roof, which may be refractory-lined or water-cooled, and
can be shaped as a section of a sphere, or as a frustum (conical
section). The roof also supports the refractory delta in its
center, through which generally 3 graphite electrodes enter.
The side walls refractory materials should be able to withstand
thermal shock and corrosive action of slag. Thus it is lined with
magnesite, dolomite or chrome-magnesite bricks up to the slag line.
The roof is lined with High alumina bricks and chrome-magnesite
bricks.

Figure: Showing Electric Arc Furnace Figure: Blowing in Ladle

Source: BHEL Haridwar

 Facilities at Furnace Bay

 One 30T EAF (Transformer rating 12/ 14.4 MVA)
 One 70T (EBT) EAF. (Transformer rating 40/48 MVA)
 One 10T EAF (Transformer rating 5/6 MVA)
 One Electric Overhead Traveling (EOT) crane of 50/20T capacity
  One EOT crane of 20/5T capacity

 Furnace Operations
The electric arc furnace operates as a batch melting process
producing batches of molten steel known "heats". The electric arc
furnace operating cycle is called the tap-to-tap cycle and is made up
of the following operations:
 Furnace preparation
 Furnace charging
 Melting
 Refining
 De-slagging
 Tapping
 Secondary refining

o Furnace preparation
The first step in the production of any heat is to select the grade of
steel to be made. The scrap yard operator will prepare buckets of
scrap according to the needs of the melter. Preparation of the charge
bucket is an important operation, not only to ensure proper melt-in
chemistry but also to ensure good melting conditions. The scrap
must be layered in the bucket according to size and density to
promote the rapid formation of a liquid pool of steel in the hearth
while providing protection for the sidewalls and roof from electric
arc radiation.
 o Furnace charging
The first step in any tap-to-tap cycle is "charging" into the scrap. The
roof and electrodes are raised and are swung to the side of the
furnace to allow the scrap charging crane to move a full bucket of
scrap into place over the furnace. The bucket bottom is usually a
clam shell design - i.e. the bucket opens up by retracting two
segments on the bottom of the bucket. The scrap falls into the
furnace and the scrap crane removes the scrap bucket.
The charge consists of approximately:-
 Turning and Boring = 6%
 Heavy return scrap = 34%
 Universal scrap = 60%
 Graphite powder or broken electrode pieces 0.4-0.7%

o Melting
The melting period is the heart of EAF operations. The use of EAFs
allows steel to be made from a 100% scrap metal feedstock. This
greatly reduces the energy required to make steel when compared
with primary steelmaking from ores.
 Scrap melting time is 2.5-3.5 hours
 Meltdown temp is 1550+/-30 oC
 Liquid metal bath re-carburized with graphite powder
 Burnt lime along with fluorspar was added twice/thrice for
dephosphorization of the melt
 End of refining temp was 1660 oC
Chemical energy is be supplied via several sources including oxy-fuel
burners and oxygen lances. Oxy-fuel burners burn natural gas using
oxygen or a blend of oxygen and air. Heat is transferred to the scrap
by flame radiation and convection by the hot products of
combustion. Heat is transferred within the scrap by conduction.

o Refining
Refining operations in the electric arc furnace have traditionally
involved the removal of phosphorus, sulfur, aluminum, silicon,
manganese and carbon from the steel.
In recent times, dissolved gases, especially hydrogen and nitrogen,
been recognized as a prime concern.
In modern EAF operations, especially those operating with a "hot
heel" of molten steel and slag retained from the prior heat, oxygen
may be blown into the bath throughout most of the heat.
As a result, some of the melting and refining operations occur
simultaneously.

o De-Slagging
De-slagging operations are carried out to remove impurities from the
furnace. During melting and refining operations, some of the
undesirable materials within the bath are oxidized and enter the slag
phase. The furnace is tilted backwards and slag is poured out of the
furnace through the slag door. Removal of the slag eliminates the
possibility of phosphorus reversion.
 Slag removed and Fe-Si(Si=77%)@1.55kg/t
 After final deslagging, heat is tapped in a preheated ladle.
  Tapping temperature is 1650-1700oC.the ladle’s lining temp is
600-800oC
 If required molybdenum and nickel can be adjusted for
chemistry

o Tapping
Once the desired steel composition and temperature are achieved in
the furnace, the tap-hole is opened, the furnace is tilted, and the
steel pours into a ladle for transfer to the next batch operation
(usually a ladle furnace or ladle station). During the tapping process
bulk alloy additions are made based on the bath analysis and the
desired steel grade. De-oxidizers may be added to the steel to lower
the oxygen content prior to further processing.

o Secondary Refining
The objectives of secondary steel making are:
 De-oxidation - Removal of Oxygen
 Desulphurization - To sulfur concentrations as low as 0.002 %
 Alloying - Addition of alloying elements
 Micro cleanliness - Removal of nonmetallic inclusions
 Inclusion morphology - Changing the composition of remaining
impurities to improve the microstructure of the steel
 Superheat Control - + / -5 degree C
Oxide removal is achieved by applying inductive stirring of the steel
melt throughout the entire process. Inductive stirring is an effective
method of controlling the movement of molten steel inside the ladle
furnace Additional agitation is achieved by argon bubbling through
the melt during the vacuum degassing operation. Desulphurization
and degassing are achieved by exposing the steel melt to a
combination of argon bubbling through the melt and inductive
stirring under vacuum.

 2.2.7.1 Facilities for secondary Refining

 Two Vacuum Arc Degassing (VAD) of 70T Capacity
 One Vacuum Oxygen Degassing (VOD) of 70T Capacity
 One Ladle Refining Furnace (LRF) of 12 T Capacity
 One EOT crane of 20/5T capacity

Pit Side Practice (Teeming bay)

Pit side practice, consist of teeming practice (Pouring of the

secondary refined liquid metal into the mould), mould preparation
and stripping of the ingot after solidification. After stripping, Ingot is
being sent to the forging shop for further hardening treatment of the
ingot.

 Facilities at Pit Side

 Three stream degassing tanks or teeming of the ingot .One of
the tanks of 200 cubic meter capacity is located in Heavy forge
shop.
 Pit for bottom pouring of ingot up to 1200 mm diameter
 Three ladle preheater .Two more are under procurement.
 One EOT crane of 130/25T capacity.
 One EOT crane of 30/ 5 T capacity.
 One steam ejector system of 160 Kg/hr capacity is located near
the two tanks.
 One steam ejector system of 400 Kg/hr capacity is located near
the bigger tanks in HFS.

Figure: Showing Moulds

Source: BHEL Haridwar
After secondary refining, molten metal is again heated to raise the
temperature as per the requirement of the planning and technology
department. Further, this ladle containing molten metal is brought to
the pit side for the pouring operation into the mould .
Mould preparation is being made for the body weight of ingots
with foot and hot-top position in wide end up position. Mould is
strengthened by the assembly kept in tank, where false bottom can
vary to adjust the depth of mould to best fit the body weight and
hence required liquid metal accommodation. Gap between mould
and false bottom is filled by sand base. Finally Hot-top placed over
mould, sealing done with the asbestos tape and tank cover with
spray limiter cover the vacuum tank.
At the pit side, there are three stream degassing tanks for the
teeming practice along with a pit for bottom pouring of ingot up to
1200 mm diameter. Pitside also consist of three ladle preheaters.
Coming to the operation statistics of the pit side practice, the melt
with temperature 1615 C is poured through preheated (400-500 C)
ladle called as pony kept over the cover of the tank .Vacuum level
during teeming is less than 0.5 – 1.0 torr. Approximately one ton of
liquid metal is drained outside in order to get ladle nozzle cleaned
completely.
At last, liquid metal solidifies, ingot is striped after solidification and
is sent to forge shop for subsequent operation.