Pak Steel’s coke oven battery develops cracks

[sonicboom]

Pak Steel’s coke oven battery develops cracks

By Salman Siddiqui
Sunday, February 13, 2011

KARACHI: Cracks have appeared on one of the two coke oven batteries at Pakistan Steel, which was refurbished at the cost of Rs4.5 billion in December, sources said on Friday.

“The coke oven battery cracked after coal tar had choked its lines,” said the source at Pakistan Steel on the condition of anonymity.

Coal tar - a bi-product of coke - thickens on low temperature. According to the source, the battery was being run at 700 to 800 degree centigrade, 1,000 degree lower than the required temperature, due to shortage of coal.

Moreover, the battery was being used for 52 consecutive hours instead of the standard 16 hours duration, the source said.

“This change in operational method, which may be called mismanagement, has caused cracks in the battery,” he said. The shortage of coal compelled the authorities to run the battery at lower temperature, but they lost the bet.

The battery was working properly when it was run for 16 consecutive hours at a temperature of 1700-1800 degree centigrade to produce coke from the coal, he said.

The operation of the cracked oven battery could prove hazardous for the workers besides causing a major loss to the mill, the source said. “The battery should remain air tight during its operation to ensure that poisonous gasses do not escape.”

A senior official of the Pakistan Steel Mills denied that there were any cracks in the coke oven battery, saying that it was recently re-launched and was being operating on pre-heat stage. “It would be made fully functional before the end of February,” he said requesting anonymity.

The Pakistan Steel Mills has recently got a new board of directors and many officials were hesitant in talking to the media on the issue.

Sources said that Pakistan Steel has invited international tenders for the import of coal. “If Pakistan Steel awards coal import tender now, the shipment would take around 50 days to reach here (Karachi).” Pakistan Steel usually imports coal from South Africa, Canada, and Australia.

The senior official of Pakistan Steel, however, said that the company could import coal within three days from India and Iran. “The management would overcome the situation at the Pakistan Steel within a week.”

Sources said that running the coke oven battery for 52 hours has also raised the natural gas bill to three times. “The gas bill surges to nearly Rs250 million in a month amid the shortage of coal.”

He said that it took over three years to get the battery repaired at the cost of Rs4.5 billion.

“The repair was initiated by Colonel Javed, former chairman of Pakistan Steel, sometime in 2006 that was completed in 2010.”

Concord Group of Ukraine, which earlier repaired the battery, has refused to repair it again, saying the battery developed cracks after running on low quantity of coal, sources said.

“Cracks appeared because of mismanagement are not covered under the agreement with Pakistan Steel,” the official said, quoting a representative of the foreign firm.

Another official alleged that the appointment of the chief executive officer in January impacted the supply chain of raw material “At present, Pakistan Steel has no money to import coal while there is an immediate needed of at least Rs10 billion.”


Pak Steel