Concept design of raw material store and supply for new DRP

One of Europe’s largest steel producers has requested a concept design (FEED study) for a wholly revised raw material with a new ‘cleaner’ supply system, increasing the existing capacity (within the existing plant) and making the supply redundancy more flexible, including the flow of incoming raw materials from the port to the store and the supply flow from the store to the various consumers (users).

The immediate reason for this is the arrival of a new user, a DRP (Direct Reduced Plant). The goal of decarbonising the production of steel will be achieved with this new DRP.

In collaboration with our the client, the preliminary phase investigated an initial rapid quick (low-cost) expansion of two existing fields and the installation of an additional ‘stacker reclaimer’ as a forerunner. Through brainstorming sessions, Iv then developed the new concept design in close consultation with the various users. During this process, all requirements and wishes were gathered and assessed for feasibility and the lowest possible emissions impact on the (immediate) environment, followed by an assessment of sustainability and investment costs.

The main challenge was that this is a so-called ‘Brown Field’ project, meaning integration into and on an existing site during production with minimal downtime, combined with applying the latest technology to, among other things, minimise dust emissions, the latter requiring a rethink of the existing users and maintenance philosophies. By involving both the client and the various users in the design process and integrating them into the project team, we were able to successfully present the outcome to management within the set project boundaries, including:

• Determining project strategy, budget, procurement policy and RISMAN (project risk analysis)
• PFD (Process Flow Diagram)
• Block diagram (Process Block Diagram)
• 3D Layout for logistical flows and
• HAZID report (technical risk analysis)

By increasing capacity and being able to flexibly manage different raw material flows, our client can integrate a new user (DRP) to produce green and CO₂ neutral (fossil-free) steel in the future. In addition, the new design of the raw material store and handling contributes to greater efficiency on site. The increased redundancy helps ensure that better and smarter maintenance can be carried out, directly contributing to lower dust emissions. The extra redundancy also provides some leeway in the event of a system failure, allowing production to continue.