ROURKELA, OCT 5
The ‘Tejas’ Quality Circle (QC) team at the New Plate Mill (NPM) has made remarkable strides in improving efficiency and reducing costs for SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). Their innovative project, “Modification of Cooling Line System to Improve the Heat Capacity of the Reheating Furnace,” has led to substantial cost savings and enhanced production efficiency.
The dedicated team includes Gopabandhu Behera (OCT), Shirshananda Das (SOST), Deepak Sahu (Assistant Roller), Asit Behera (SOST), and Deepak Kumar Sahoo (OCT), with Abhijit Patnayak, Manager (NPM), serving as the facilitator.
Previously, the Reheating Furnace at NPM faced intermittent issues related to efficiency and damage control. Water is circulated through horizontal beams to maintain safe temperature limits. However, over time, these beams and the skid posts suffered from oxidation, leading to thinning and frequent replacements. In recent years, the occurrence of punctures in the skid posts escalated, causing production interruptions and damaging crucial components like pipe support beams, refractory materials, and recuperators in the reheating furnaces. Such malfunctions at extreme temperatures could result in significant production losses.
Taking on this challenge, the Tejas QC team conducted a thorough study and brainstorming sessions. They decided to add an extra cooling line sourced from the main water supply to better regulate temperatures at the skid posts that were exceeding safe limits. This modification has effectively maintained the skid posts within the permissible temperature range, allowing potential breakdowns to be converted into scheduled maintenance shutdowns.
The QC team’s outstanding efforts were recognized when they were awarded the prestigious J.K. Das Memorial Trophy at the recently held Chapter Level Quality Circle Competitions in Rourkela, achieving the highest grade among 140 participating teams from various prominent corporate houses.
