Drainage Pump House Automation

Introduction:

SMS -1 of Bhilai Steel Plant started its production on 12/10/1959 and

achieved 100MT steel production on December 2009. It has been awarded
with ISO 9002 certification in January 1997. SMS-I follows the conventional
route in which steel is produced through Twin Hearth furnaces (both baths
having capacity of 250 T) and cast into ingot moulds. Ingots are stripped off
from the ingot mould in stripper yard and are sent to Blooming & Billet Mill
for rolling into blooms/billets. Throughout its journey SMS-1 has seen many
ups and downs. But it always set an example of its excellence.

There are two Drainage Pump Houses (DPHs) in SMS-1.These pump out
used hot water which is accumulated in two different pits at a depth of 40 feet
below the ground level. There are 4 set of pumps in each DPH. DPHs are
critical for the proper operation of furnaces as it saves the flue paths from
flooding with water.

Problem:

The motor and pump mechanisms of the DPHs are installed 30 feet below the
ground. Pump operators had to go down frequently to check the water level.
When the water level reaches the threshold level the operator was priming the
pump and starting the pump manually from the panel which is at the ground
level. This work was manpower intensive as five pump operators were
required per shift. As the operators had to go down repeatedly to check water
levels, safety was also a major concern.

Also at times there was sudden increase in water levels causing motor to be
submerged and spoiled. The help of fire brigade had to be taken to empty the
pump house. Due to the hot water in the pump houses the pumps used by fire
brigade were often unable to drain the water. As a result the pumps had to be
changed repeatedly causing further delay in operation. Even after the water
was drained out, all the motors were required to be replaced due to low IR
value. But due to shortage of spares, the motors removed from the pump
house were overhauled and installed. This resulted in a total time period of
around one month to normalize the system. The pump mechanism also
required regular maintenance to prevent leakage from foot-valve and glands.

Whenever there was a breakdown of motor or pump mechanism, it had

to be removed using manual winch. This was a time consuming task and it
was taking a whole day or even two days to normalize the system. It required
at least 5 people (each from electrical & mechanical) to operate and
coordinate the process. This process required a lot of precautions to ensure
safety.

Analysis:

To solve the above problems discussions were carried out among the group. It
was suggested that a submersible pump be used for draining of water to
reduce breakdowns. A plc controlled system was suggested to prevent manual
error & save man power. Brain storming was done to find an alternative to
the manual process of removing motor/pump from the pit during breakdown
or maintenance.

RECOMMENDATION & IMPLEMENTATION:

An electrically operated winch was provided instead of manual winch to

replace the motor and pump mechanism from the pit.

A submersible pump was installed in place of one motor – pump set. The
panel of the old motor-pump set was used for the submersible pump. A new
PLC based panel along with level indicator was incorporated for an
automated system.
 Schematic diagram of DPH
PUMP
STARTS

UPPER LEVEL
(1500mm)

(signal from PLC and level sensor)

PUMP
STOPS

LOWER LEVEL
(500mm)

REFERENCE

Display boards were provided in the Electrical Shift Room( which is at

a distance of 150metres from DPH-2 and 600metres from DPH-1) for
monitoring the operation of pumps. The display indicates high water level
and start of pump.

BENEFITS:
Tangible Benefits:

1. Cost saving due to decrease in manpower

a) Reduction in number of pump operators- 12

b) Reduction in number of Mechanical employees-3

c) Reduction in number of electrical employees (3 persons).

d) Saving of men hour of fire brigade employees ( 10 persons).

e) Saving of men hour electrical/mechanical in breakdown(2+6

persons).

f) Saving of motor overhauling cost & men hour for overhauling.

Intangible Benefits:

1. Increase in reliability of DPH for better operation of furnaces.

2. Man power saved due to automation.

3. Safe work environment.

4. Optimum utilization of in-house resources

5. Better utilization of old Electrical panels.

6. Protection for all zero level equipments and personnel from flooding.

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