Benefits of Outsourcing O&M for Water Management Case Study at Tata Steel CRM Complex

By Abhijeet Goswami, Ion Exchange (India) Ltd.

Worldwide there has been a dramatic switch from a product oriented to a service driven approach. Consumers have shifted from products to services that deliver end benefit conveniently and economically. Industry too is progressively outsourcing O&M services for equipment to the specialist suppliers. This 360 solutions-with-service trend is also been increasingly adopted with respect to water management. Total water management capability enables value addition across the customers entire process cycle, while comprehensive service support ensures high performance continuity, translating into significant competitive advantage and bottom line benefit to the customer. The resultant single-point responsibility enables greater customer focus on core business, assures consistent, continuous supply and quality with superior price performance ratios and production efficiencies, lower cost and more effective use of capital employed. Outsourcing specialist O&M services also leaves the plant key personnel time to concentrate on overall plant management. This case study features several of the substantial benefits to Tata Steel Ltd. as a result of outsourcing O&M services for the complete water and waste water complex of their cold rolling mill (CRM) at Jamshedpur. Background In 2000, Tata Steel commissioned a 1.5 million tones per annum cold rolling mill (CRM) at its complex at Jamshedpur. The total water management for the entire CRM was awarded to Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. who supplied, installed and commissioned the water and waste water treatment plants. The water treatment section consists of main filtration 3 x 160 m3/h, demineralisation 2 x 40 m3/h, softening 2 x 20 m3/h and side stream filtration 4 x 147 m3/h. The waste water treatment plant treats chrome, alkaline, oily and acidic wastes, as well as 25 m3/h backwash waste from the filtration plant and 25 m3/h DM plant waste. Since 2000, the customer has also outsourced the comprehensive water management of the CRM complex to Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. including operation and maintenance of the water and waste water treatment plants, besides the management of the cooling tower and cooling water treatment programme. The scope of O&M service involves 24 x 7 operation of the plant, maintenance of the mechanical/ electrical/ instrumentation equipment of the plant (water treatment, waste water treatment, recirculation pump house), supply and monitoring of the cooling tower chemical system, laboratory analysis at plant site and submission of consumables consumption report. Awarding the entire water management and services to a water management specialist has enabled the customer to focus on its core strength: making steel. In addition, there has been tremendous value addition through savings in consumption of chemicals, improved plant efficiency, consistent quality and quantity of treated water, and recycle of water.

Chemical Savings in Water System

A monthly saving of Rs. 16,66,900 /- in chemical consumption in all the three plants of the water system while maintaining the target Key Performance Indicators (KPI) within limit. Introduction of PID control system for effective control of supplied demineralised water, led to reduced consumption of Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA). Modification of acid dosing line led to effective pH control and reduced consumption of acid (HCl). Modification of alum dosing lines resulted in reduced consumption of alum.

Utilisation of 48% w/w caustic lye in place of flakes in the water treatment plant reduced chemical cost and avoids preparation of hazardous caustic solution from flakes. Implementation of a new treatment programme has reduced cooling tower blow down, system loss, and cold water sump level to save chemicals. Optimum utilisation of ion exchangers in water treatment plant to obtain maximum throughput with reduced quantity of chemicals like HCl and NaOH.

Enhancement of chrome waste treatment capacity & cost saving in treatment.

Treatment procedure: The chromic acid waste from the continuous galvanizing lines (CGL#1 & CGL#2) are first collected and homogenised in the chrome waste collection tank. It is then transferred to the chrome reaction tank where hexavalent chromium is converted to trivalent by dosing fresh HCl & SMBS (sodium metabisulfite). Later alkali (NaOH) is added to precipitate the sludge. After proper settling ,the supernatant liquid containing traces of non-toxic Cr+3 along with Fe & Zn is transferred to the supernatant collection tank and then to the alkali waste water collection tank for further treatment. The sludge is drained to the sludge sump and then dewatered through the filter press. The filtrate collected while dewatering is taken back to supernatant tank and the cake is collected in separate bins and dumped into the hazardous waste pit by the Material Handling Section (MHS). Problem faced: As per the design the supernatant water used to mix with the incoming waste. Since it contains 5 to 10 ppm hexavelent chromium, treatment volume continuously increases and the chemicals consumption also increases. Rectification : After a number of analyses and plant studies it was observed that the inlet acidic waste contained FeCl2 and FeCl3 and FeCl2 works as a reducing agent also to convert the Cr+6 to Cr +3 .That is why the supernatant line was modified to connect to the alkaline waste collection tank. Because during the treatment of the alkaline waste it is mixed with the acidic waste and the hexavelent chromium converts to the low LD value trivalent chromium. Saving: Saving in SMBS consumption: Rs 210000/- per month .

Chrome Waste Treatment

CGL (CRM) Waste Water Sludge for discharge Chrome Reaction Tank Collection Tank

Alkali Waste

Filter Press Acid Tank Water NaoH SMBS

PUMP

Supernatant Collection Tank

Sludge Collection Tank

Installation of PID controller to maintain the DM water supply pH

Previous process: From the time the plant was commissioned, the pH in the DM water was maintained by the on-off controller by dosing of Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA). Problem: Due to the on-off controller, the control and sensing lag time is high, and there was a small pH variation range in the DM water supply. (In the on-off controller the pH variation is 6 to 8.5). But the roll coolant shop and electrolytic cleaning line (ECL) require pH to be between 7 to 7.5. Rectification/process modification: To maintain the pH in the DM water supply within the range of 7 to 7.5 one PID controller with pH transmitter and an MEA (mono

ethanol amine) dosing system were installed, which gave the desired output. It also increased the CRM produce sheet quality and reduced the coolant consumption (because previously, due to low pH <4 and high pH >10, emulsion quality deteriorated). On-off controller pH range variation:
On-Off controller pH

14 12 10 pH 8 6 4 2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 No of sample Series1

After installing the PID controller pH variation:

PID controller pH
14 12 10 pH 8 6 4 2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 No of sample Series1

Recycling of Filter Backwash Water

Backwash Waste Treatment: The water treatment plant backwash water from the multi grade filters and TSS laden waste water are collected in two waste water collection tanks from where it is transferred to the high rate solids contact clarifier (HRSCC). In this clarifier all the three steps of flash mixing, flocculation and clarification are carried out in a single step by dosing alum & polymer. After that clear water is stored in the final effluent storage tank from where it is reused for gardening purposes. Sludge from HRSCC is drained into sludge collection tank and then transferred to the filter press. After filtration the cake is collected in bins and disposed by the Material Handling Section. Outlet quality: pH: 7 - 8 and TSS 10 to 15 mg/l.

Process modification: After the above process the outlet quality of the HRSCC water is suitable for the fire water makeup only the TSS was slightly high. One multi grade filter (capacity 35 m3/h) as installed after the HRSCC and the filter water sent directly to the fire well as makeup.

Introduction of New Bacterial Cultures in Aeration Tank

Brief Description of Oily Waste Section of Waste Water Treatment Plant, CRM: Oily wastes from the Pickling Live Tandem Casting Mill (PLTCM) roll coolant & continuous galvanizing line CGL#2 are collected in the collection tanks. These are then mixed with de-oiling polyelectrolyte (DOP) and alum maintaining the pH 7.0. The oil is removed as sludge. After mixing by cavitation air flotation (CAF) the waste water is sent for biological treatment in the aeration tank following bio-oxidation of biodegradable organic material, it is filtered through a multi-grade filter (MGF) and then through an activated carbon filter (ACF). After filtration, part of the filtered water is used as make-up water in the industrial cooling water circuit or as gardening water. The process layout is shown in Fig-1. 1 2 10 Area of focus 12 13 14
Final Effluent

Oily sludge

11

6 7

8 5 1. Oily waste from CGL#2 SPM Collection tank-1 2. Oily waste from PLTCM Collection tank-2 3. Continuous Tank 1 4. Continuous Tank 2 5. Feed Pump 6. CAF 1 7. CAF 2 8. Aeration Tank 9. Surface Aerators 10. Clarifier 11. MGF/ACF Feed Tank 12. MGF 13. ACF 14. Final Effluent Tank

Problems Faced & Root Cause Analysis: The problems faced during operation in the oily waste section of CRM waste water systems were as follows: The colour of the ATL started changing to black from normal brown.

 Intense smell of rotten egg (i.e. H2S) was polluting the surrounding area. Sludge bulking (huge sludge formation) was found in secondary clarifier, which led to high turbidity of the final effluent. The colour of clarifier effluent was blackish. Both these were unacceptable environmental conditions. Sludge volume index, which is an indication of the settling characteristic of the sludge, of the secondary clarifier was calculated to be 90.5 i.e. high normal (normal range is 40 to 100). The O2 uptake test (Fig.2) conducted showed a flat response, signifying that the bacteria were no longer active.
Dissolved oxygen test result 0.14 0.12 0.1 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.02 0 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10

Time interval every 5 min.

Corrective & Preventive Action Taken: for arriving at an effective solution.

Various tests & measures were carried out

(i) Accessibility to aeration tank top was improved for observation and two extra circular air spurges were provided to reduce H2S exposure. (ii) Extra nutrients were tried and the aeration tank was also loaded with a wide range of micro-organisms from cow dung as well as the BOD plant. Draining out the aeration tank to develop new bacteria was not considered due to environmental concerns of 400 cu.m of liquor from the aeration tank. (iii) Since procurement of a pure culture of thiobacillus ferro-oxidan is timeconsuming, it was decided to carry out the treatment of oily waste in laboratory scale with different soil samples collected from the premises of Tata Steel works. Lab studies on the use of soil samples in the treatment of oily waste had encouraging results. The intermittent enhancement of dissolved oxygen (DO) was taken as a positive indication of growth of the micro organism. The dip in DO may be interpreted as consumption of O2 not only for biochemical reaction but also for some other consumption by other interfering radicals i.e. chemical oxidation. However no tangible colour change was observed at the time of performing the O2 uptake test. The experiment could not be continued beyond D-2 (second day) due to stoppage of airing on D-2 night for some unavoidable reasons.

DO test result of D-2

0.35 0.3 0.25

DO mg/l

0.2 0.1 5 0.1 0.05 0 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 0 T1 1 T1 2 T1 3 T1 4

Time Interval every 5 min.

Conclusion: It was the first time soil has been used directly in running any biological treatment process, creating a medium required for micro organism growth. Normally in activated sludge process, bacteria culture is made by addition of cow-dung or sludge brought from other BOD removal plant. However it was established in this study that soil micro organisms could have a vital role in biological treatment process because they serve as biochemical agents for the conversion of complex organic compounds into simple inorganic compounds or into their constituent elements. Consequently one could use this material as an inexpensive source of desirable micro organisms in biological treatment processes.

Troubleshooting
Apart from the benefits that have accrued to Tata Steel as detailed above, having a fully experienced team at site specialised in water management has helped Tata Steel maximize uptime of their plants. The teams involvement in trouble shooting in various areas is illustrated below: Water Treatment Plant PROBLEMS Slime gel deposition was detected in DM water supply line. REMEDIAL ACTION a) A sample of slime gel was sent for lab analysis. It was found that slime gel formation took place due to micro-biological growth b) DM water supply line flushing was done during annual shutdown. PLC logic was developed which allowed both pumps to be started in manual-remote mode so that desired flow and pressure could be maintained effectively. Acid soaking was done for SAC. Alkali brine treatment was done for SBA. Mono Ethanol Amine dosing prohibition was provided with PID control for maintaining pH of DM water supply effectively. Powder alum was replaced by liquid alum. Practice has been developed to mix SPM waste

DM water supply pumps often tripped due to high consumption of DM water. Throughput of SAC and SBA reduced. Low pH in DM water supply circuit. Waste Water Treatment Plant Frequent choking of alum dosing pump strainer Oily waste from SPM used to

contain high COD load (1000012000 mg/l) which was beyond our design (600 mg/l). As a result, aeration system was frequently disturbed. Due to increased load and higher volume of oily waste received, sludge generation increased considerably which created disposal problems. Oily waste from SPM contained foaming like surfactants, which caused a lot of foam in the aeration tank resulting in reduction of dissolved oxygen content. Removal of oil scum from continuous tank Higher incoming alkaline waste from continuous galvanizing line than its design, which affects the final effluent quality. Underground pipe line leakage from alkaline waste pipe line from CGL # 1 & CGL # 2. Section 500 filter press not able to form cake. TSS of final effluent high due to section 300.

with PLTCM waste before treatment supply.

A spare filter press for section 500 was reinstalled in section 300, which considerably reduced the volume of sludge generation. Proper sprinkling system was developed which reduced the foam and thus helped in maintaining the dissolved oxygen content.

Permanent arrangement (by rotor pump) was made for removal of oil scum. Treatment flow was increased from 14m3/h to 20 m3/h Polymer 441 dosing line made to T- 203 & alum dosing is done through directly from the tank. Overhead line provided for incoming alkaline waste from CGL #2 and CGL #1 to avoid frequent leakages Scrape the deposit mud & continuous airing in sludge sump of section 500. Complete overhauling was done in multi grade and activated carbon filters.

Recirculation Pump House (RCPH) Make-up water could not be FT-01 of RCPH has been replaced at the top of properly monitored as it was not the pipeline to get the correct reading & to possible to calculate the total measure the make-up water during gravity flow. volume of the water that was provided to cold sump for makeup by gravity. Fire fighting line pressure not up Jockey pump: 1 in RCPH has been replaced with to the demand. vertical multistage pump. As is evident from this case study, outsourcing O&M has delivered single-point specialist responsibility for every aspect of the water circuit with manifold benefit. It has resulted in suggestions & implementation of measures to enhance efficiency, save on capital costs & reduce operating costs. Troubleshooting problems and effective tackling of emergencies eliminated downtime and production losses.