CaseStudy
Study
Case
Steel Mini-Mill Industry
Plant Gains Efficiency by Replacing Vacuum-Truck Process
Located in Portage, Ind., Beta Steel is a steel minimill that produces and sells hot-rolled steel in the
north central United States and Canada. The plant
produces about 700,000 tons a year and employs
about 400 people. On site is an electric arc furnace
melt shop that produces
continuous-cast steel
slabs and a hot-strip
rolling mill for further
processing of slabs into
rolled coils.
Beta Steel’s raw materials
are scrap metal and
chemical additives. The
scrap metal is melted and
recast into slabs, which
ultimately become coils
of flat steel that customers
p u rc h a s e to m a k e a
variety of durable
products. The heatintensive process uses
water to cool in-process materials to specified
temperatures. After this, the water is sent to four
above-ground concrete cooling towers to release
the heat it has absorbed. But during hot strip mill
production, tramp oil mixes with the water, and this
mixture collects in two basins and a scale pit. Before
the water can be cooled and reused, the oil must be
removed to keep the cooling towers and other plant
equipment running smoothly, and to prevent
contamination of the product.
PROBLEM: The plant had employed a company to
periodically vacuum the oil out of the water as it sat
in the pit and two collection basins — one with a
490,000-gallon capacity and the other one with a
285,000-gallon capacity. But this method did not
adequately separate the oil and water, and it didn’t
provide an option to operate continuously, as the
plant does.
SOLUTION: Beta Steel now uses six Oil Skimmer’s
oil-recovery systems to remove the tramp oil from
the water in the collection basins as well as from a
scale pit that was added during a rolling mill
upgrade at the hot-strip mill. When operating
continuously, each system
removes 150 gallons of oil a
day, said Ehren Plew, Plant
M e c h a n i c a l E n g i n e e r,
although they are capable of
removing much more if
needed. In a unique anticlogging design, the Oil
Skimmer ’s system has a
polyurethane tube that
attracts and collects the
waste oil/grease as it floats
on top of wastewater. The
t u b e p a s s e s t h ro u g h a
scraper system to remove the
oil, which flows by gravity
into a containment drum.
BENEFITS: The system operates independently and,
if needed, can run 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. This was a significant improvement over
periodic vacuuming, Plew said. The skimmers run
whenever needed and for as long as needed
without maintenance.
Case Study
Steel Mini-Mill Industry
Plant Gains Efficiency by Replacing Vacuum-Truck Process continued
“They are relatively maintenance-free, and they are
certainly trouble-free,” Plew said. “They run 24/7
with no manpower. It would be uneconomical to
have a vacuum truck running 24 hours a day.”
Additionally, the skimmers are more effective at
separation, Plew said. “The vacuum truck sucks out
a lot of water, and these remove just the oil. So there
is a lot less waste.”
Jim Petrucci, Vice President of Oil Skimmers, said
the vacuum method of oil removal has its place in
industry, but it’s not the best choice for an ongoing
need, such as steel min-mills.
“Even the most conscientious vacuum operators
pick up a lot of water. And even if they do vacuum
and get all of the oil, the next day you have more oil
in the water. Our system runs continuously.
Vacuuming is great when you have a spill, but it
doesn’t address continuous build up.” Additionally,
vacuum services can cost fro $100 to $300 an hour,
which means in most situations an investment in an
Oil Skimmer system pays off quickly through cost
savings, Petrucci said.
Beta Steel uses both the Oil Skimmer Model 5H and
the Model 6V. Both are made with internal
components of high-strength steel and bronze for
durability. External parts are made from abrasiveresistant ceramic. The machine has a lifespan of
more than 25 years.
Contact Oil Skimmers, Inc. For more information on the Model 6V Brill™ oil-recovery system, Give us a call.
Oil Skimmers, Inc. 12800 York Road Cleveland, OH 44133 USA
USA Toll Free: 800-200-4603 | Ph: 440-237-4600 | Fax: 440-582-2759 | E-mail: [email protected]
www.oilskim.com