RCC Institute of Information Technology

Canal South Road, Beliaghata, Kolkata - 700015

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A Report on Industry Visit at Vizag Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam, Sponsored by TEQIP II
On 4th September 2015
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Motivation:

Industrial visits represent important activities in any engineering undergraduate programme

that contribute to the achievement of various essential learning outcomes and programme
objectives. The purpose of the Industry Visit to Vizag Steel Plant was to give exposure to the
students on the following:

1. Applications of Industrial Drives

2. Process Control
3. Industry inclination/ industry-preparedness of the students
4. Familiarization with the working environment of core industry.

Another important but indirect purpose of the visit was to enhance relationship with the core
industry, so that the chances of placement of the students with the particular industry could be
increased.

Details of the Visit:

The visit to VSP, Visakhapatnam was conducted on 4th September 2015. A batch of 44
students of B.Tech. (EE), 4th year visited the plant. The students were guided by 3 faculty
members of the EE Department, RCCIIT. The students along with the faculty members left
for Visakhapatnam on 2nd September, 2015 from Shalimar (SHM) station by GURUDEV
Express. Accommodation was booked at Hotel Vishnu Residency before the visit. The
visitors reached Visakhapatnam in the noon at about 2.30 PM. They reached the hotel by Bus.
A room allocation list was prepared to avoid any delay. The industry visit was conducted on
4th September. The scheduling time for the visit was 9.30 am to 05.30 pm. The visitors started
back for Kolkata on 5th September and reached at around 5.00 AM on the morning next day.
 RCC Institute of Information Technology
Canal South Road, Beliaghata, Kolkata - 700015
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A Report on Industry Visit at Vizag Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam, Sponsored by TEQIP II
on 4th September 2015
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Interaction at Vizag Steel Plant:

On the day of Visit i.e. 4th September 2013, the students with the Faculties reached
the Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) Training and Development Department sharp at 9:30am. After
the necessary permission from the Head of the TDD, Mr. E. Srinivasa Rao they again reached
the main entrance of the VSP, guided by Mr. Alok Nandy. At the main entrance, the CISF
guards issued the entry pass for all the visitors. At first, the students and the teachers visited
the Coke Ovens & Coal Chemical Plant and got familiarized with the process of converting
coke from coal. Mr. Nandy nicely explained the overall process for this conversion. Coal is
converted into coke by heating the prepared coal blend charge in the coke ovens in the
absence of air at a temperature of 1000oC-1050oC for a period of 16/19 hours. The volatile
matter of coal liberated during
carbonization is collected in gas
collecting mains in the form of raw
coke oven gas passing through
stand pipes and direct contact
cooling with ammonia liquor
spray. The gas cooled from 800oC
to 80oC is drawn to Coal Chemical
Plant by Exhauster. The residual
coke is pushed out of the oven by
pusher car through a guide into
quenching car. The red-hot coke is
taken to coke dry cooling station
for cooling.

Facilities

 There are 4 batteries, each

having 67 ovens.
 The volumetric capacity of each oven is 41.6 m3.
 Dry Coal charge /Oven are 32 t.

After spending half an hour in this part of the Plant, the students and the teachers now visited
the Blast Furnace. Three Blast Furnaces are there. The students were permitted to visit the
first one, which was in operation at that time. Iron is made in the Blast Furnaces by smelting
iron bearing materials with the help of coke and air. The solid charge materials like sinter,
sized iron ore, coke etc. are charged in the vertical shaft of the Blast Furnace at top and hot
air blast is blown through the tuyeres located near the bottom. The oxygen from the hot air
 combines with the
carbon of the coke and
generates heat and
carbon monoxide. The
gases, while ascending
upwards react with the
descending charge
materials. Eventually the
charge melts and hot
metal and slag are
produced and tapped out.
The evolved gas is also
used as fuel in the plant.
The Paul-Wurth, bell-
less top system is
installed for furnace
charging.

Hot metal flowing out of VSP Blast Furnace -1 (GODAVARI)

After spending an hour or so at BF Control Room where Engineers explained to us the whole
process of charging into the BF and the different sensors and monitoring done through
SCADA & PLC, the students group along with our Faculties and Guide headed to the Sinter
Plant. Sintering is agglomeration of fine mineral particles into a porous mass by incipient
fusion caused by heat produced by combustion within the mass itself. Iron ore fines, coke
breeze, limestone and dolomite along with recycled metallurgical wastes are converted into
agglomerated mass at the Sinter Plant, which forms 70-80% of iron bearing charge in the
Blast Furnace. The vertical speed of sintering depends on the suction that is created under the
grate. At VSP, two exhausters are provided for each machine to create a suction of 1500 mm
water column under the grate. Each
exhauster is driven by a 5.6 MW motor
capable of rotation of the fan at 1000 rpm
with an output of 15,000 m3/min

Facilities

 Two Sintering machines of

Dwight Lloyd type each having
312 M2 total grate area.

Salient Features

 On ground blending of sintering

base mix.

Capacity
 Production Capacity - 5.256 MT of Gross Sinter per annum
After the Sinter Plant, the student and Faculties visited one of the dangerous yet exciting parts
of the tour – STEEL MELTING SHOP (SMS) and the CONTINUOUS CASTING
DEPARTMENT (CCD). Steel is made in steel melting shop in the refractory lined vessels
called LD Converters by blowing oxygen through the hot metal bath. While iron making is a
reduction process, steel making is an oxidation process. The oxygen reacts with the carbon in
the hot metal and this reaction
releases large quantities of gas
rich in carbon monoxide along
with huge amount of dust. The
gases released from the converter
are collected, cooled, cleaned and
recovered for use as fuel in the
steel plant. The entire molten
steel at VSP is continuously cast
at the radial type continuous
casting machines resulting in
significant energy conservation
and better quality steel. 100%
Continuous casting on such a
large scale has been conceived
for the first time in India.

Facilities

SMS-1:

 Three LD converters of 133 cum. volume each

 6 nos. of 4 - Strand Continuous Bloom Casting machines.

SMS-2:

 Two LD Converters of 150 cum. volume each.

 1 no. of 6- Strand Continuous Billet- cum- Round caster.
 Two LD Converters of 150 cum. volume each.
 2 nos. of 6- Strand Continuous Billet casters.
 Hot Metal Desulphurization Plant (HMDP).
 DOG House.
 RH Degasser.

Salient Features

 100% Continuous casting of steel

 Converters gas cooling, cleaning and recovery systems
 Computerisation of the converter process
Capacity

 SMS-1: 3.0 MT of Liquid Steel per annum & 2.820 MT of CC Blooms per annum.
 SMS-2: 2.8 MT of Liquid Steel per annum & 2.730 MT of CC Blooms/Rounds per
annum.

A group photo session in front of Technical Training Institute

of VSP on 4th September 2015.