How steel plants play a critical part in the production of Liquid Oxygen

09

Oct

PRAKSHI RAWAT

In India, daily covid-19 instances are at an all high and many patients require Liquid Oxygen during their treatments while in the hospital. Steel plants require gaseous oxygen due to significant demand for oxygen liquid plants in the country, mainly for steel production and oxygen enhancement in Blast Furnaces and certain general applications such as lancing and gas cutting.

As a result, Captive Oxygen Plants in Integral Steel Plants are designed to produce mostly gaseous products of oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, which would then be routed through a Pressure Reduction & Management System (PRMS) to meet the process need at the required pressure.

At peak capacity, such plants may produce 5-6 percent maximum Liquid Oxygen (LOX), which is a really pure product comparable to industry oxygen. Only by sacrificing considerable liquid oxygen plants and adjusting process variables may plants increase production.

The Ministry of Steel stated in a statement that "Meanwhile, all attempts are being made to expand liquid oxygen manufacture and distribution, for which all oxygen plants, whether internal or external are operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and supplying oxygen. Steel plants also load oxygen cylinders and provide them to the states and hospitals."

"Steel mills,both public and private, are working extremely hard to just provide liquid oxygen plants to varying states. SAIL's current average delivery of Liquid Medical Oxygen has grown to over 800 tonnes. Around 2100T of LMO was delivered. SAIL has been constantly raising its LMO supply. SAIL integrated steel factories at Bhilai, Bokaro, Rourkela, Durgapur, and Burnpur delivered 39,647 tons of liquid medical oxygen "according to the Steel Ministry.

In terms of RINL, it delivered 8842 tonnes of LMO in the budget year 20-21. More than 1300 tonnes of medical oxygen were sent this fiscal year. There has been a rise from 100 to 140 tons.On the 22nd of April, the first Oxygen Express chugged off the RINL Vizag Steel Plant site, delivering 100 tons of Liquid Medical Oxygen to Maharashtra to fulfill the medical needs of Covid clients.

Steel plants have a per day oxygen productioncapacity of 2834 MT. There are 33 oxygen plants (both with CPSEs and in Pvt.) in the Steel Sector, with 29 of them to be accessed on a routine basis. Compared to the Steel Sector's daily LMO manufacturing capacity of 2834 MT, LMO production is 3474 MT. Since most units have decreased their Nitrogen and Argon output and are now only producing LMO, it's more than the LMO production capacity. With all these efforts, steel plants in the government and business delivered 2894 tons to various states contrasted to 1500/1700 tons.