OREANDA-NEWS. Rourkela:Mr. C. S. Verma, Chairman, SAIL inaugurated the state-of-the-art Coke Ovens Battery-6 Complex at Rourkela Steel Plant, an integrated Steel Plant of the Maharatna Company SAIL on 1st June. Also present on the occasion were Mr. S.S.Mohanty, Director (Technical) with Additional Charge of Director (Commercial), Mr. T.Suresh, Director (Projects & Business Planning), Mr. G. S. Prasad, CEO, RSP and other senior officers of the Steel Plant and a large number of employees. Mr. Verma unveiled a plaque and pushed a button that set in motion the coke pushing process.

It is worth mentioning here that at present a massive modernisation and expansion project is being implemented at Rourkela Steel Plant at an investment of about Rs 12,000 Crore. Post expansion, RSP will more than double its capacity from the current level of 2 MT to 4.5 MTPA (Million tonnes per annum) of Hot Metal and commensurate increase in crude steel and saleable steel capacity.

It is worth mentioning here that the total investment in the entire Coke Ovens Battery complex is around Rs.1400 crores. The complex comprises a modern environment friendly new Coke Ovens Battery, Coke Dry Cooling Plant (CDCP), Coal Handling Plant (CHP) and Coal Chemicals Unit.

Second of its kind in SAIL, this new battery is top charged having compound twin flue, under jet, regenerative heating with partial recirculation of waste gases. The 7 metre tall battery of 67 ovens will produce run of oven Coke (Dry) of 0.768 MT/Year. The Computerized Heating Control System (COHC) has been installed for the battery operation for the process management system to improve reduction in environmental emission, improve coke quality and productivity. In Coke Dry Cooling Plant (CDCP), which is based on the principle of coke dry quenching, the cooling of hot coke will be carried out with inert gas circulating in close loop between the chamber of hot coke and the waste heat Boiler. Apart from ensuring environment friendly operation, the CDCP will also enhance the coke quality.

With this key unit coming to stream Rourkela Steel Plant has completed a major chunk of the projects activities. Earlier, two more key units namely the New Sinter plant and the Raw Material circuit of Ore Bedding and Blending Plant Phase-II have already been made operational and are in the process of stabilisation. Test and trial runs of new units like Blast Furnace-5, new Slab Caster in SMS-II and Power Blowing Station are in progress and the units are likely to be put into operation soon. To meet the enhanced power requirement, the 220 KV bays at Tarkera Grid Sub- Station and the 220 KV double circuit transmission lines from the sub-station to MSDS-IV of RSP have been energized successfully. As a part of the power augmentation package the 132/33 KV Main Step Down Sub-Station-5 (MSDS-5) has also been put to service.