1

Palaparthi Hema Chandar

12/CH/54
Department of Chemical Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Durgapur

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Reeta Banerjee, Manager of

Center for human resource development (CHRD), Durgapur steel plant for
giving an opportunity to do the summer training.
I would like to thank specially Mr. Pradeep sett, Deputy Manager (CHRD) for
his outstanding guidance and extending his support at all times throughout
the training period.
I am grateful to all plant In-charges, technicians and other employees of
different dept. working under operation, maintenance and instrumentation
departments for sharing their valuable experience with me.

Introduction

04

Process Flow chart of Durgapur Steel Plant

06

Raw Materials Handling Plant

07

Coke Ovens and Coal Chemical

10

Sinter Plant

14

Blast Furnace

16

Steel Melting Shop

19

Blooming and Billet Mill

22

Skelp Mill

25

10

Merchant Mill

26

11

Section Mill

29

12.

Wheel and Axle Plant

32

Durgapur Steel Plant, SAIL, was set up with the British collaboration in the late fifties
with an initial capacity of one million tonnes of crude steel per annum. The capacity was
subsequently enhanced to 1.6 million tonnes in the late sixties. The plant undertook a large-scale
modernisation programme in the early nineties. The technological upgradation of the plant was
matched with a massive training programmes of its human resources. Since then DSP has acquired
the ISO 9000:2001 Quality Assurance Systems and has emerged as one of the most modern plants
in the country. Encouraged with a participative style of management, the Durgapur steel collective
has amply demonstrated its determination to forge ahead in the highly competitive market scenario
that has emerged over the years.
Initiated during the 1950s, Durgapur Steel Plant changed the face of India, bringing with it a
lot of technical and industrial growth for the country as a whole. The plant was set up with an initial
annual capacity of one million tonnes of crude steel per year. However, as time progressed, the
capacity of Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) was later expanded to 1.6 million tonnes in the 1970s. Three
decades after its commencement, a massive modernization program was undertaken, which
brought a number of technological developments in the plant. The yearly capacity of the plant was
also increased to 2.088 million tonnes of hot metal, 1.8 million tonnes crude steel and 1.586 million
tonnes saleable steel.
The modernized DSP now has state-of the-art technology for quality steel making. The
modernized units have brought about improved productivity, substantial improvement in energy
conservation and better quality products. DSPs Steel Making complex and the entire mills zone,
comprising its Blooming & Billet Mill, Merchant Mill, Skelp Mill, Section Mill and Wheel & Axle Plant,
are covered under ISO: 9002 quality assurance certification.
Durgapur Steel Plant is the third integrated steel plant of the then Hindustan Steels
Limited to come up under Public Sector in India. Durgapur was selected as location of the plant, for
its proximity to coal-fields, the Grand Trunk Road (NH-2), Kolkata - Delhi main railway track,
Kolkata port, power from Damodar Valley Corporation and water from Durgapur Barrage on river
Damodar.

Finished products of Durgapur Steel Plant are used in various sectors which are mentioned in the
table below:

Major Production Units in Durgapur Steel Plant:

Raw Material Handling Plant

Coke Ovens and Coal Chemicals
Sinter Plant
Blast Furnace
Steel Melting Shop
Blooming & Billet Mill
Skelp Mill
Merchant Mill
Section Mill
Wheel and Axle Plant

Raw Material Handling Plant is the starting point of steel making process. The objective of
RMHP is to receive, unload, stack and supply all the raw materials required for steel making i.e. Iron
ore, Limestone, and Dolomite. Apart from this, RMHP also deals with Sinter mix preparation using
state of the art automation system.
Iron ore, coal and limestone are the three most basic raw materials of Durgapur Steel Plant.
The plant draws its coal from the Jharia-Raniganj coal belt, while some amount of prime coking
coal, with fairly low ash content, is imported as well. The iron ore, on the other hand, is derived
from the mines at Bolani, in Orissa. Lime stone comes from the Birmitrapur (Orissa), Jaisalmer
(Rajasthan), and Jukehi and Nandwara (Madhya Pradesh). Durgapur Steel Plant consumes a total of
about 7.4 million tonnes of different raw materials annually

1. Tippling of wagons.
2. Stacking and reclaiming of raw materials.
3. Crushing of flux and coke.
4. Sinter-mix preparation and supply to Sinter Plant

5. Iron ore lump screening.

6. Screened iron ore supply to Blast Furnace.
7. High grade limestone, dolomite & iron ore lump supply to BOF.
:
(A) Wagon tipplers:
These are 3 in number
To unload the raw materials brought in rakes of wagons from
various mines
(B) Wing Trippers:
These are 3 in number
Two operated mechanically and one hydraulically
To stack material on the beds
(C) Old Reclaimers:
These are 4 in number
Plough and Harrow type
For reclaiming the materials
(D) Stacker cum Reclaimers:
4 in number
For stacking on beds as well as reclaiming from beds
Two beds for Iron ore and two beds for flux
(E) Slewable Stacker:
1 in number
For Sinter-mix preparation (i.e. stacking for Sinter-mix)
(F) Blender Reclaimer:
1 in number
To reclaim the Sinter-mix

(1) Sinter-mix preparation:

Capacity of 12051 T/day
Raw Materials stored in 18 bunkers of junction 25
Also waste generated in the plant like flue dust, mill scale, Ferro
scraps are added
Sinter mix is sent to the Sinter Plant
8

Main constituents of sinter mix:

Iron ore fines
Limestone fines
Dolomite fines
Coke fines

0-10 mm
0-3mm
0-3mm
0-3mm

Flux Crushing Plant:

6 Impact hammer type crusher to crush Limestone and
Dolomite
3 Primary Crushers of 200 TPH and 3 Secondary Crushers of 250
TPH
Required size of 3 mm obtained by closed loop crushing system
Crushed Limestone and Dolomite conveyed to sinter-mix
proportioning bunkers.

(2) Coke Crushing Plant:

6 Smooth Roll Crushers to crush the coke
Coke breeze offloaded at track hoppers is reclaimed by two
paddle feeders and conveyed to storage bunkers
Coke crushed to 3 mm and conveyed to sinter-mix
proportioning bunkers.
There are 8 dust extraction system and 8 dust suppression system for pollution control.

Raw Material

Size (in mm)

Main Source

Iron ore fines

0-10

Bolani

Iron ore lump

10-50

Bolani

BF/SP gr. L.S

5-50

Birimitrapur

BF/SP gr. dolo

5-50

Birimitrapur

BOF gr. L.S

25-55

Jaisalmer

Coke breeze

0-20

Internal

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Coke Ovens is an important department in an integrated steel plant. The main objective of
this department is to produce coke by carbonization of coal. Coke is an essential raw material for
production of Hot Metal.

Fig. of battery of Coke ovens

The ovens are charged using charging cars. The charge is heated inside in the ovens in the
absence of air up to the temperature of 1000 1050 degrees. This process generally takes 16-19 hrs
which is called coking period. After the coking period, coke produced is pushed out of the oven into
coke bucket after which is taken to dry.During the process of carbonization of coal, a number of
valuable chemicals are obtained. This department also deals with the recovery and processing of
these chemicals.

Major sections of this department are:

1. Coal Handling
2. Coal washery
3. Coke Oven Battery and Coke Handling
4. Coal Chemicals

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Washed Coal
(-25 mm)

Wagon
Tipplers

Wing
Tripper

Bed

Reclimer
erners

Blending
Silos

Primary
Crusher

Service
Bunkers 4 of
4000T each

Pneumatic
Classifier

Selective Crushing
Unit

Secondary Crusher
Coal for
BF coke
making

To Battery

(1) Coal Handling:

To supply coal of required quality and quantity to service
bunkers for BF coke making
Washed coal and imported coal received in wagons are unloaded
by means of Box Tipplers (3)
The tippled coal is stacked in silos (14) as per quality and grade
Coal of different quantity is drawn from Blending silos and
selectively crushed and blended in Selective Crushing Unit.
Blended coal is sent to service bunkers for BF coke making.

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(2) Coke Ovens Battery:

There were 5 batteries of 78 ovens each and a half battery of

39 ovens
Now we have 3 batteries of 78 ovens each and a half battery of
39 ovens
Capacity of oven is 16.6 tonnes on dry basis
Coking time 18 to 20 hours
Flue temperature 1230o C
Coke of size 20 to 80 mm is sent to BF, undersize coke is sent to
RMHP.

There are four special cars in this section:

(a) Charging Car:

Takes coal from service bunkers to individual ovens

(b) Ram Car:

Pushes the coke out of individual ovens

(c) Guide Car:

Guides the coke during pushing operation

(d) Quenching Car:

Receives the hot coke for quenching

The quality parameters of cleaned coal are:

Blend coal ash

15%

Ash in BF coke

19%

Fineness of crushing -3 mm (85%)

(3) Coal Chemicals Plant:
Byproduct plant which recovers the chemicals from the gas and
allows clean gas to be used in coke ovens and other plant as
fuel.
4 gas streams with capacity of 3300 cube meter/Hr each
This plant has four major sections:
(a) Benzol Plant
(b) Tar distillation
(c) MNCP
(d) BOD plant

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As fuel

As reducing agent

Must have high mechanical strength

Must be in required size range

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Sintering is the process of agglomeration of fines by incipient fusion caused by heat available
from the fuel contained in the charge. The objective of sinter plant is to provide good quality
sinter, an efficient feed to Blast Furnace.
The process of sintering started in 1940 and flourished in countries where there was coke
shortage. Advantages of using sinter are:
(a) To utilize all waste of fines nature like Mill scale, Ferro Scrap, LD slag etc.
(b) Reduction in coke rate in Blast Furnace
(c) Increase productivity of blast furnace
(d) Smooth Gas Dynamics inside BF stack.
(e) To utilize Iron Ore fines and Coke breeze.
(f) Better Operation of Blast Furnaces as Sinter is engineered product

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Plant capacity: 3.009 MT/annum

Machine capacity: - 2500 T/day (for each old m/c)
5184 T/day (for the new machine)
In DSP, there are 3 sintering machines whose details are as follows:

(a) Primary Mixing Drum:

Materials are mixed in required proportions and calculated
amount of moisture added
Drum fitted with paddles
(b) Nodulizing Drum:
Moist charge is rolled to nodulise the fines and decrease the size
range of particles and consequently improve the permeability of
sinter bed.
(c) Sinter mix Hopper:
To store the nodules before feeding to sintering machine
(d) Sintering machine:
Sinter mix is spread over hearth layer, which is a layer of
previously sintered material.
Material is heated under a set of burners and suction is applied
from bottom.
The heat travels down the bed and by the time the material
reaches the discharge end, whole mass is sintered.
(e) Sinter Breaker:
Sinter is crushed here and passed through screens.
Various fractions of sinter are used as follows:
+25mm and +6 to -16mm

Blast furnace

+16 to -16mm

Hearth layer

-6mm

Return fines re-circulated in sinter plant

-5mm

Returns fines to RMHP

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Sinter plant is a Heavy Power consuming plant and it consumes about 1/4th of the total power.
There are 4 ESPs (Electrostatic Precipitators) provided for each machine which perform the
process of cleaning the gases obtained during suction. These are vital as the gases have lot of
dust particles.

Blast Furnace is the most important part of an integrated steel plant. It is considered as the
heart of an ISP. The objective of Blast Furnace is to take the raw material from RMHP, coke from
Coke Ovens and Sinter from Sinter Plant and convert it into pig iron or Hot Metal. Coke serves as
the heat source and reducing agent while Limestone and Dolomite are used as flux, which combines
with gangue to produce slag. A Blast Furnace is so called because it uses air blast as oxygen source
for the process. The solid charging materials like sinter,sized iron ore,coke etc. are charged form
the top of the furnace.The hot air blast at 11000c-13000c and 5.75 kg/cm 2 is blown from the
tuyeres located at the bottom of the furnace.The oxygen from the air blast reacts with the coke and
generates heat and carbin monoxide.These gases while ascending upwards reacts with the coke
and generates heat and carbon monoxide.These gases while ascending upwards reacts with the
descending charge materials.Eventually the charge melts and hot metal and slag are produced and
tapped out.The top gases are collected and refined and used for preheating the blast

Fig. Outer view of Blast furnace

There are four Blast Furnaces in DSP, out of which 3 are in running condition.
At present in Durgapur Steel Plant there are four Blast Furnaces of which the details are as following:
1. Kasturba 1323cu m. 1250 T/day
2. Kamala 1400 cu m. 1870 T/Day

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3. Sharada 1400 cu m. 1820 T/Day

4. Durga 1800 cu m. 2340 T/Day

Sinter

Iron ore lump

Coke

Hot Blast

BlastHot Blas
Furnace

BF Gas

GCP

Clean BF

Gas

Hot metal
Slag

PCM
SMS

Raw materials i.e. iron ore, Sinter and coke are charged into the furnace from top in required
proportions. Air enriched with oxygen is preheated in stoves. Preheated air is blown through Tuyeres
in the bosh region. These are symmetrically located openings. The raw material descending through
various temperature zones are heated up and get smelted. The reducing gases rise up and go out
through ascension pipes. The hot metal and slag obtained through smelting of raw materials trickle
down and accumulate in the hearth, which is the bottom part of the furnace. The slag, being lighter
than Hot Metal, floats on it.
The hot metal and slag are tapped through Tap Holes, drilled using drilling machines. The hot metal
thus obtained is sent to SMS to make steel or to PCM to make pigs. The slag is either dumped in the
slag yard or granulated in slag granulation plant (SGP).
Blast Furnace 3 and 4 have SGP and hence the slag coming out of these Furnaces is granulated.

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The gas ascending through the descending column is called BF gas and has high calorific value of 850
Kcal/Nm3. It is used as fuel at many departments in the plant. This gas has to be cleaned before
being used as fuel. For this purpose, a gas cleaning plant is located in the Blast Furnace area.

The gas coming out of Blast Furnace contains about 25-27 gm/Nm3 of dust and unless it is
cleaned, it cannot be used as fuel. The cleaning process is done in four stages. In the first stage, the
gas is subjected to a sudden expansion in primary dust catcher. Then, it is given a cyclonic motion in
a secondary dust catcher. The gas coming out at this stage has about 5-7 gm/Nm3 of dust.
In the third stage, the gas is counter currently washed with water in gas washer. The gas coming out
is then sent into a set of electrostatic precipitators, where it is cleaned to the maximum extent. The
gas leaving ESPs has a dust content of 9-11 mg/Nm3

#1*

#2

#3

#4

Capacity (TPD)

1250

1820

1820

2340

Useful volume (m3)

1323

1400

1400

1800

No. of stoves

*not working

Parameter

BF #2 & 3

BF # 4

Blast Temperature

1100 c

1150 c

High top pressure

0.7kg/cm2

0.7kg/cm2

Sinter charge

75%

75%

Furnace Productivity

1.3

1.3

No. of cast/day

9-10

9-10

No. of tuyers

18

20

No. of tap holes

Blast period

60 minutes

60 minutes

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SMS or Steel Melting Shop is the section where hot metal from Blast furnace is converted into steel.
The process is Basic Oxygen Furnace or LD process.
This process was first used successfully in a place called Linz in Austria and then at Donawitz in
Austria. The name LD process came from the names of these places.
Basic Oxygen Furnace was added under modernization of DSP. It has a capacity of 1.876 MTPA.

(a) Basic Oxygen Furnace

(b) Continuous Casting Plant
(c) New Lime Calcination Plant

Hot Metal coming out of the Blast Furnace is collected in ladles and poured into mixers. The mixers
(2) serve the purpose of storing as well as homogenization of temperature and composition. Coke
oven gas is used here to maintain the temperature at 1260o C. the quantity of raw materials for
producing one tonne of steel are as follows:

Hot Metal

1073 kg

Scrap

65.9 kg

Iron Ore

15.6 kg

Briquetted lime

10.6 kg

Calcined Lime

81.3 kg

Dolomite

31.3 kg

Fe- Mn

1.11 kg

Fe- Si

1.32 kg

Al

0.15 kg

Coke Breeze

3.27 kg

The shop has three converters each having a capacity of 110-130T per heat. The converters were
commissioned by Mannessmann Demag of Germany. Each converter has its own lance system for

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blowing oxygen at high pressure so as to form an emulsion on the surface of metal which increases
the surface area to such an extent that separation of impurities takes place very fast.
The oxygen blowing rate through the lance is 415 Nm3/min. and the blowing pressure is 14.2 to 14.3
bars from top. The tap to tap time of BOF is approximately 57 minutes out of which oxygen blowing
time is 18 min. the gas obtained from BOF converter has a calorific value of 2100 Kcal/Nm3 which
acts as a fuel.
BOF has an online process monitoring system. The system uses VAX/VMS system which works on the
principle of virtual memory. The higher level of computerization caters to the need of quick retrieval
of data about operation parameters.

CCP, one of the critical features of DSP is the first billet caster in any ISP in SAIL. The
machines are designed and supplied by Concast Standard AG, Switzerland. Presently, we have two
machines with six strands in each, capable of producing billets of sizes varying from 80 mm2 to 150
mm2.
Under traditional route, liquid steel is allowed to solidify into separate moulds and come out as ingots,
which are then rolled to get the billets. Continuous casting route bypasses the steps of soaking and
rolling in blooming and billet mill.

Technical Features of CCP:

No. of machines

No. of strands/machines

Design Limit

80 -150 mm2

Casting Radius

6m

Heat Size

110T (normal), 130T (max)

Casting time

85 min.

Shear

Up cut pendulum type

Molten steel is taken to ladle treatment section. The purpose of ladle treatment is to homogenize
the temperature and composition, floatation of non-metallic inclusions and to facilitate active slag
metal reactions. A dummy bar is inserted in the mould, up to 100 mm with the help of pinch rolls.
The mould is surrounded by 4 mm water jackets through which primary water is circulated internally.
Primary cooling is thus done by demineralized water. Other zones are kept cool by industrial water.
The billets formed are cut to proper lengths and are allowed to cool in air and then packed and
sent to stock yard.
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NLCP came up during during modernization in 94-95. This plant came up to cater to the need of BOF.
The main function of this plant is to produce lime from naturally available limestone. Lime is mainly
required in steel making process to reduce sulphur and phosphorous content of steel. Presently,
Limestone from Jaisalmer is used as input material for the plant.
There are three kilns (Annular kiln shaped), of capacity 300T/day , one is kept standby, each kiln
is a vertical cylindrical structure. Limestone, which is charged from the top, gradually descends
through the kiln, where it is subjected to controlled heating by two firing zones preventing the
charge from direct exposure to base flame. Coke oven gas at 5500 mm water pressure is used as fuel
for heating. Temperature range of heating is 12000 C - 1250o C
The calcination process is almost complete as the charge reaches the bottom portion of lower
combustion zone and the calcined lime is discharged into a silo by Lime Discharging device.
NLCP has got bunkers and conveyors for storage, handling and supply of fluxes to converter shop.

The process of plastically deforming metal by passing it between rolls is known as rolling.
TYPES OF MILLS:A. PRIMARY MILLS
Blooming & Billet Mill
B. FINISHING MILLS
Section mill
Skelp mill
Merchant mill
Wheel and axle plant
Semi Finished products of DSP
Blooms:160 to 250x250 mm
Billets:125x125 mm,100x100 mm
Slabs:140 to 225x80 mm
Ingots: fluted ingots, 8T ingot

Blooming and Billet Mill is the place where the Ingots are produced at the SMS are released (called
soaking) and then rolled into different square sections called Blooms (section above 125x125mm)
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and Billets (sections upto 125x125mm). Slabs are also rolled here for use by skelp mill. Blooms and
Billets are sold outside. Some blooms are used in the section mills and Wheel and Axle plant; billets
of 100x100 mm are used in Merchant Mill.

Soaking pit furnaces are used for reheating the ingots at 1280o C. There are 20 soaking pit furnaces
with capacity 110T. Fuel used is CO and BF gases in the ratio of 1:4. The reheating time is usually
1.5 times the Track Time. After soaking the ingots are lifted by means of vertical ingot charger
cranes for soaking. It is a two high charger reversible type with two 2X3000 HP DC motors at the
mills speed of 0/40/60 rpm.
Here 1200T shear is used to cut fish tail, and then the blooms are put in the bloom transfer bank.
There is a two high reversible mill driven by 4500HP DC motor. The rolls are spring balanced and
driven with a speed of 0/80/120 rpm.

Blooming mill
Soaking Pits:
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20 in numbers and of 3 types

(a)

(b)

(C)

(d)

Welman type - Bottom fired with ceramic recuperators

Ofulyns type - side fired with ceramic recuperators

Priest type - side fired with ceramic recuperators

42 Blooming Mill

2- high reversing type with twin motor drive

Driven by two 3000 HP DC motors

Speeds of 0/40/60 rpm

Roll diameters varies from 915 mm to 1100 mm, top roll hydraulically
balanced and can be moved up and down, while bottom roll is fixed

Side guard type manipulators to guide the ingot through various

passes

Generally rolled in 13 passes (19 passes required for special steel).

Primary Hot Bloom Shearing & Stocking:

Front and back ends of blooms which develop fish tails are sheared
using1200T shear

Shear can cut a max. cross section of 256 square inch.

32 Intermediate Mill:

2 high reversing mill driven by one 4500 HP DC motor

Roll diameter varies from 800 mm to 925 mm

Springs balanced rolls

Speed range of 0/80/120rpm

700 T Shear:

Blooms are cut to length with nominal blade load of 700 T

Important Parameters:
(a) Pit Time: This is the amount of time the ingots have to be placed in the soaking pits. This is
equal to 1.5 times the track time, which is around 3 to 4.5 hrs for hot ingots and around
12 hrs for cold ingots.
(b) No. of passes in blooming mill:
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13, in case of normal steel and 19, in case of special steel.

Blooms produced in Blooming Mill are further rolled into billets of various sizes. The capacity of
Billet Mill is 0.957 tonne per annum. The products of this mill are 50 mm square to 125 mm square
Billets and 140 to 240 mm * 75/80 mm skelp slabs.

Fig of Billet production

(a) Mill Train:

Continuous morgan design with 8 strands

Vertical rolls on first and fourth strands & remaining are horizontal, 1
to 4 are roughing stands each run by 800 HP DC motor (1 & 2) and
1000 HP DC motor (3 &4)

5 to 8 (finishing stands) driven by a single 700 HP synchronous motor

(b) Up and Down Cut Shear:

For emergency purpose

Cuts materials in process. (maximum capacity 130 square inch)

(c) Flying Shear:

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Skelp mill came up during the expansion of plant to 1.6 MTPA in late 60s. It was designed
and elected by a UK firm, Loewy Robertson Company Limited. Skelp is a narrow section with bevel
edge with included angle of 70o. Mostly used for making pipes and tubes. The annual capacity of
this mill is 0.25 million tonnes.

Skelp mill receives slabs from Billet Mill by rail transfer bogies. The slabs are taken on to charging
table from the bogie. The slabs are fed to a reheating furnace by a Ram charger. The furnace is of
side charge and side charging type. The furnace is fired by a mixture of coke oven and Blast
Furnace gas in a ratio of 1:1.

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The furnace has a heating capacity of 60T/Hr. The slabs are sent to the mill section, which consists
of 11 horizontal strands and 6 vertical strands. These are arranged as shown below:
E1-H1-H2-H3-H4-H5-E3-H6-COBBLE SHEAR-LOOPING THROUGH-H7-E4-H8-H9-E5-H10-E6-H11.
Where H refers to horizontal strands and E refers to vertical strands. The roughing mill constitutes
strands from E1 to H6 while H7 to H 11 constitute the finishing mill.
After rolling, the skelp or strip is coiled and the coil is dispatched to customers.

Merchant Mill takes billets of size 100 mm2 from CCP and produces ribbed TMT bars of various
diameters.
The capacity of Merchant Mill is 0.28 million tone per annum thermo mechanically treated (TMT)
ribbed bars of dia. 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28 mm.
Grade- IS2062
TMT 415, TMT 500, TMT 550, TMT HCRM
Input: billet of 100mm2 and 9m long

Fig of TMT rods

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Reheating furnace has a two zone type arrangements for side charging and discharging. The output
of furnace is 70 TPH. Temperature inside the furnace is 1250 1300o C. Separating skids are used
to placed the billets on the furnace charging table. The mechanism consists of stationary and power
operated carry over skids .The fuel used is CO gas with 3000 BTU/ft3 of calorific value. The air for
combustion is preheated in metallic recuperators.
By using push-out bar, billets are discharged from the furnace to the first mill stand. For this, there
is a pinch roll arrangement near the furnace. A pendulum shear is located between the pinch roll
and first stand to cut the front end of the billets.
The mill has 13 horizontal stands in which 7 are roughing, 4 intermediate and 2 are finishing
stands. In between 7 & 8 stand, a crop cum cobble shear is provided to cut front end of all the
rolled stocks passing out of the 7th stand. It is also used for cutting the rolled stock into pieces in
case cobble is formed.
Four 180 repeaters provided between 9 & 14 stands (13th stand is not there). These repeaters are
provided to reduce the overall length of the mill.
After the finishing mills Thermax carriages are situated for spraying water at high pressure on the
rolled bars (to impart required structure). There is a rotary shear, which cuts the rod into the pre
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determined lengths, which are then accommodated in the cooling beds. After this the bars are cut
to final sizes (as per customers demand) in the Bar Shears and sent to dispatch area after bundling
and strapping.
Apart from conventional rolling, Slit Rolling is also done where we get two rods parallel from a
single billet. (for section 16 mm rolling)
Major Equipments:
Reheating furnaces:

Twozone type arranged for charging and discharging

Capacity 70 TPH

CO gas of calorific value 3000 BTU/cu ft as fuel

Air preheated in metallic recuperators

To pull out and feed billets into the first mill stand

(a) Pinch Rolls:

Pendulum Shear:To cut the front end of billets

(b) Mill:

Continuous Morgan design with 4 repeaters

13 horizontal stands (1 to 7 Roughing Stands, 8 to 11 are

Intermediate Stands and 12 to 13 are Finishing Stands)

Stand no.

Drive

3, 4 & 5

400 HP DC motor

1 & 2, 6 to 9

500 HP DC motor

10 & 11

600HP DC motor

12 & 14

800 HP DC motor

(c) Crop cum Cobble Shear:

To cut front ends of rolled stock passing out of 7th stand.

Also used for cutting the rolled stock in case cobble is formed in
intermediate and finishing mill.

(d) Repeaters:
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Four 180o repeaters between 9 and 14 stands.

Provided to reduce the overall length of the mill.

(e) Thermax Carriages:

3 in number

Sprays water at high pressure on the rolled bars. Finished rod receives
intense cooling, resulting in formation of a martensite structure
surrounding the ferrite-particle core.

To cut rods into predetermined lengths

To cut rods into specified lengths as desired by customers

(f) Rotary Shear:

(g) Bar Shear:

Blooms from blooming mill are taken and rolled in section mill to produce light and medium
structural like Joists, Channels and Angles. The capacity of Section Mill is 0.212 million tone per
annum.

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Input -Blooms
Products:
Joists

200x100mm, 175x85mm, 150x75mm, 116x100mm

Channels

200x75mm, 175x75mm, 150x75mm, 125x65mm

Angles

150x150mm, 130x130mm, 110x110mm, 100x100mm

(a) Reheating Furnace:

2 continuous end charge end discharge type with11 burners each ,CO
gas mixed with BF gas used as fuel

(b) Roughing Mill stands:

Rolls of 26 diameter and 72 barrel length,

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Two-high reversing, closed top type, driven by a 2500 HP DC motor at

90/120 rpm

Spring balanced top roll with a lift of 12

Bobbin type gear is provided on the heads on the ingoing side.

(c) Intermediate Mill Stands:

2 stands of 24x68

Three-high non reversing open top housing type

Driven by a single 3000 HP DC motor at 0/90/120 rpm.

(d) Finishing Mill Stands:

24x48 two- high non- reversing, open top housing type.

Driven by 1000 HP DC motor at 0/360/600rpm.

2 Hot Saws after the Finishing Stand.

(e) Finishing End:

(f) Straightening Machine:

3 cold straightening machines (two m/c having 3 rolls on the top & 4
at the bottom)

Bottom rolls driven by 165 HP motor and Top rolls are friction driven

Third machine driven by two 100 KW slip ring Induction motors

having 4 top rolls and 3 bottom rolls.

Wheel and Axle plant special feature of Durgapur Steel Plant. It is the only plant in public
sector which produces wheel sets. The main customer of wheel sets is Indian Railways. This was
commissioned in 1962 with a capacity to produce 45000 sets per year and subsequently raised to
76000 sets per year.

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The present capacity is as follows:

Wheels:

42000 tonnes/annum

Axles:

16000 tonnes/annum

Input:- Round ingot,12 sided fluted ingot of diameter 16 & 14

Fig. of Wheel and axle

In Wheel and Axle plant of Durgapur Steel Plant, wheels are produced by pressing and rolling while
axles are produced by forging. Subsequently both are heat treated and machined. For the ease of
production, wheel manufacturing section and axle manufacturing sections are located in two
different bays. Tested wheel and tested axles finally meet in assembly section. The existing wheel
plant at Durgapur Steel Plant is sourced with bottom poured cast ingots from existing ingot casting
facility of the plant for the production of wheels for locos and coaches.
The raw material for wheel is 12 side fluted bottom poured steel ingot of diameter 1614.Below is a figure of ingot.

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This can be divided into two sections:.

(i) Process of wheel making:
The 12 sided fluted ingots are sliced into number of blocks called cheese. After physical
inspection, blocks are heated in rotary hearth furnace for 6-8 hours to a temperature of 1220 o C.
The heated cheeses are descaled and fed to 63/12 MN forging & punching combination
press. The block is subjected to upsetting, open die forging and punching. After this, wheel blanks
are heated in batch type holding furnace to 1150o C. The wheel is then rolled in a computerized
wheel mill, where shaping of tread profile by a tread roll, shaping of web portion by two web rolls
and control of rim thickness by two edge rolls is performed.
After rolling, the wheels are fed to a 20 MN Dishing press, where the form of the web is charged
from flat ring to that of a truncated cone sloping from boss to rim. This prevents high internal stress
during cooling and prevents warping of wheels. The wheel is then feed to a marking press of 3 MN,
where Sl. No., Year and Cast No. are stamped on the back rim. The wheel is then subjected to heat
treatment which includes quenching and tempering to give hard rim and tough core. Next comes
the machining part, where rim face, boss face, rim blending, condemning glove, chucking glove are
machined by means of CNC machines.
Finally, the wheels are subjected to strength testing in the form of Ultrasonic Test, Magnetic
particle Test which are RITES certified.
Process of axle making:

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Square bloom from blooming mill made of killed steel is the raw material for axle. These blooms are
heated for 6-8 hours in continuous pusher type furnace after inspection. Blooms are forged in a 7
tonnes hand operated axle forging hammer. The process takes around 9-10 minutes and the
finishing temperature is 850o C. It is then air-cooled.
Ultrasonic test is carried out, checking physical roundness of every axle is done. Axle is then
sawed and is first rough turned and then finish turned.
The axles are inspected for dimensional accuracy at every stage of the process and for
surface & diameter defects after completion.

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