#195 - Mad Science follow-up

A few weeks ago, we had a post about some experimentation that we were doing with steel furnace rolling oil. The effort was focused on bringing a viable sample to a detector and obtaining a suitable response. That initial testing has recently translated into some real equipment.

Mini-furnace used for testing.

Two of the instruments built for this project.

Now that the instruments are built, we have been able to resume testing to verify the initial conclusions. Detector response is good as long as the sample temperature is maintained on the way to the analyzer port. This will require that the sample line be insulated and possibly even heated.

Internal layout. The detectors are
in the white heated box.

Sample input port. Most access ports on
Nova analyzers are located on the right
side of the cabinet.

The customer is commissioning the furnaces during this month and next. Altogether, 3 analyzer systems were built. The units provide a 3 channel analysis including LEL, O2, & DewPoint.

The whole challenge on this application was preserving the sample constituent intact to the detector. Our next project for research will probably be for a blast furnace gas analysis application. That application will no doubt focus on removing unwanted debris from the sample.

#194 - What is iBOF?

To begin, BOF is an acronym for Basic Oxygen Furnace. It is also a concept that is comprised of the furnace itself and an improved process for making steel from iron.

Excerpts from Wikipedia: 

"Basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS, BOP, BOF, and OSM), also known as Linz-Donawitz-Verfahren steelmaking or the oxygen converter process is a method of primary steelmaking in which carbon-rich molten pig iron is made into steel. Blowing oxygen through molten pig iron lowers the carbon content of the alloy and changes it into low-carbon steel. The process is known as basic because fluxes of burnt lime or dolomite, which are chemical bases, are added to promote the removal of impurities and protect the lining of the converter.

The process was developed in 1948 by Robert Durrer and commercialized in 1952–1953 by Austrian VOEST and ÖAMG. The LD converter, named after the Austrian towns Linz and Donawitz (a district of Leoben) is a refined version of the Bessemer converter where blowing of air is replaced with blowing oxygen. It reduced capital cost of the plants, time of smelting, and increased labor productivity. Between 1920 and 2000, labor requirements in the industry decreased by a factor of 1,000, from more than 3 worker-hours per tonne to just 0.003. The vast majority of steel manufactured in the world is produced using the basic oxygen furnace; in 2000, it accounted for 60% of global steel output. Modern furnaces will take a charge of iron of up to 350 tons and convert it into steel in less than 40 minutes, compared to 10–12 hours in an open hearth furnace."

There are ways to optimize this process to further improve yields and increase efficiency. This brings us to iBOF.

iBOF as a registered trademark is a modular technology developed and offered by Tenova Goodfellow Inc. It is available either as an integrated technology package or as independent standalone modules to meet each customer's specific needs. The acronym itself stands for Intelligent Basic Oxygen Furnace.

The iBOF concept consists of the following modules:

End-point Detection Technology: is based on the industry-proven EFSOP off-gas analysis, off-gas sensors to measure temperature, flow and pressure and BOF process control models designed to enable a "Blow & Tap" practice without additional cost and delays associated with Sub-Lance Technology.

Slop Detection Technology: uses lance vibration analysis with real-time alerts to give operators advance warning of the onset of a slop event (link & link) and a measurement of slop severity. The system is designed to provide direct feedback control of lance position and oxygen flow rate, for rapid mitigation of the effects of a slop.

Optimized Post-Combustion Technology: uses EFSOP off-gas analysis in combination with off-gas temperature, flow and pressure sensors and a dual-flow lance with independent control of primary and secondary oxygen to control oxygen flow-rate, penetration, and timing. The result is optimal post-combustion efficiency and increased scrap-melting capability with minimal refractory or lance wear.

Auto-tapping Technology: employs advanced image analysis together with process models to control tapping practice, in either an operator-assist mode or a fully automatic mode. The benefits of this technology are decreased tap time and variability, reduced slag carry-over, and improved operator safety.

For more information, contact:

Tenova Goodfellow Inc.

6711 Mississauga Road, Suite 200

Mississauga, ON

L5N 2W3 - Canada

Phone +1 905 567 3030

Fax +1 905 567 3899

goodfellow@ca.tenovagroup.com

EFSOP and iBOF are registered trademarks of Tenova Goodfellow Inc.

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#193 - Update on Automotive E-testing

We have discussed the subject of engine exhaust analysis in previous posts here and here.

Drivers in Ontario, Canada who are interested in the results of their automobile’s e-test results, will notice some recent changes to the test parameters.

Here is a comparison between test results on the same car between 2010 and 2014.

The test case shown in the picture is of a large automobile with a large engine. The test results show very low emissions because this particular vehicle has been expertly maintained.

Ontario changed its Drive Clean procedures in January 2012 to use onboard diagnostic (OBD) testing equipment instead of tail pipe emissions. However, on pre-OBD2 cars such as the one in the picture, the tail pipe test will still be used.

In the 2010 example above, the test included a Nitric Oxide (NO) test during the under-load condition. Excessive oxides of nitrogen are generally caused by anything that makes the engine’s temperature rise. Simply putting the engine under load by raising the RPM instead of idling will increase the NO / NO2 output. On the 2014 test, the NO portion of the test has been eliminated.

The CO / HC limits are also different now. High Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels are associated with anything that causes the air/fuel mixture to be richer, or higher in fuel, than is ideal. High hydrocarbons (HC’s) can be caused by several conditions, most of which are related to improper fuel combustion, such as engine misfire. Both tests in the picture include measurements of CO / HC’s. But the limits are now the same for the load and non-load portions of the test.

Over the years, the drive-clean programs in various places have reportedly caused the repair or removal of most high-emissions automobiles from the roads. The newer engines have lower emissions in general. Also, OBD2 testing that ignores actual tail-pipe emissions has apparently produced misleading results in some test cases. This has prompted many to think that the whole drive-clean program has served its purpose and should be phased out.

We have been manufacturing engine exhaust analyzers for many years now and have definitely noticed this general trend toward low emissions measurements in modern engines. For example, we offer a %  or ppm range for CO measurement. The ppm range is much more common now for vehicle testing.

We frequently build instruments with the following engine exhaust ranges:

O2: 0-25.0%

CO: 0-2,000ppm

CO2: 0-25.0%

NO: 0-2,000

HC's: 0-2,000ppm

In view of the modern downward trends, we will no doubt develop lower range options in the near future.

For information on these and other gas analyzer systems, give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.

1-800-295-3771

sales at nova-gas dot com

websales at nova-gas dot com

http://www.nova-gas.com/

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#192 - Mad Science in the Nova Courtyard

Dave and Grant at Nova set up shop temporarily in an old courtyard behind the Nova facility. We were testing for a measurable response to vapor from rolling oil on an infra-red detector. The experimental layout was a little bit ‘kit-bashed’ in terms of quality. This was the last day before we each left the office for holidays with our families, so there was a less-than-rigorous vibe in air.

Let’s back up a little and provide the context and purpose of the test:

In a steel plant there are rolling mills that reduce the steel into sheets of specific thickness to be rolled up into coils. The finished product may be used in the container, construction, automotive, and appliance industries. Rolling oils are introduced into the rolling process to increase roll mill life and reduce mill power consumption by reducing roll loads and vibration.

In the high-temperature sections of some rolling mills there is a concern that fumes from the oil will accumulate in the furnace atmosphere in high enough concentrations to combust or even explode. By measuring the fume concentration in the furnace, corrective action can be taken to avoid explosive fume mixtures. Corrective action sometimes involves increasing the air changes in the furnace to dilute the fume concentration.

We were asked by one of our sister companies if we could measure rolling oil fumes. In this case, the specific rolling oil was called Magiesol®47 manufactured by Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.. This particular product is basically just mineral oil. Our infrared detector can detect hydrocarbon gases, but we were uncertain of the following variables:

• viability of the IR response to this particular hydrocarbon
• the mobility of the sample through tubing
• sample loss from condensation caused by temperature gradients
• the calibration process for this hydrocarbon

So we set up a test that consisted of an enclosed volume of rolling oil inside of a stainless steel receptacle which was suspended in a mini-furnace and heated to approximately 250C. A gas sample from the head-space of the oil receptacle was continuously pulled using a down-stream pump. The collected gas was sent through the sample tube of an IR detector, and the output was measured using a digital interface & software.

The stainless steel receptacle containing the oil required some time to reach the target temperature. At low temperatures, there were insignificant amounts of the oil vapor in the sample gas and no useful response was observed on the detector. Once up to temperatures above 200C, the oil vapor content increased dramatically and a useful IR response was observed. We also noticed significant visible signs of oil vapor and condensation in the tubing as the temperature decreased after leaving the furnace.

Based on these results we decided that we would move forward with a design to be used on a rolling furnace upgrade project. We were also able to combine oxygen and dew point with the hydrocarbon analysis to provide a three-gas analyzer.

The actual furnace upgrade work is being handled by Tenova Core.

Tenova Core

Cherrington Corporate Center

100 Corporate Center Drive

Coraopolis, PA 15108-3185

Phone: (412) 262-2240

Fax: (412) 262-2055

http://www.corefurnace.com/

core@tenova.com

For information on these and other gas analyzer systems, give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.

1-800-295-3771

sales at nova-gas dot com

websales at nova-gas dot com

http://www.nova-gas.com/

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