Hach Lange Monitor Prevents Downtime at Steel Plant

by | Nov 30, 2012

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The installation by Hach Lange of a continuous oil-in-water monitor in coolant water at a steel re-processing plant has prevented downtime and avoided costly and time-consuming laboratory analysis, the company says.

The steel manufacturing industry relies on closed-loop generation and recycling of steam as an energy efficient means of process control. Generated steam is used to raise the temperature of mineral oil-based heat transfer fluids and later condensed back into water for use as a coolant fluid. However, any cracks on the heat exchanger surface cause leakage of mineral oil into the condensate, which could result in a discharge consent failure and cause plant shut-down during remedial work.

The as-yet-unnamed large steel re-processing group has traditionally relied on daily physical checks to identify hairline cracks in the metalwork, in conjunction with analysis of effluent water for trace oil loading. Previously, water samples had to be manually collected and transported to the laboratory, which incurred ongoing extra costs and delays in test results that could prevent timely action in the event of a leak.

Following consultation with Hach Lange, an FP360sc dissolved oil in water probe was installed in a flow-cell assembly on the outlet of the coolant water feed line. With instant warning of line leakages, the steel company now avoids extensive downtime and the associated costs of late intervention. Additional benefits include reduced operational costs associated with sample collection and transport, avoidance of health and safety issues related to reagent handling in the laboratory, significant improvements in uptime, and closer control of discharge to the environment, Hach Lange said.

In November last year, rug company Shasun Pharma Solutions’ wastewater plant in Newcastle, UK, installed Hach Lange sensor equipment. Hach Lange products are used in the plant’s activated sludge process to detect dissolved oxygen in wastewater from Shasun and third parties. The sensors allow instantaneous control of the amount of oxygen in the sludge and can go without recalibration for over a year.

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