Steely resolve helps cut and shift 140 tonnes at BOS
Project clears steel in LMF turret basement
A mammoth 27-day project has been completed in the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) with Shift 1 successfully removing 140 tonnes of solidified steel from the basement under the ladle metallurgical furnace (LMF) turret.
A ladle breakout and reaction during treatment had resulted in the basement floor effectively rising by more than half a metre in some places at the OneSteel Manufacturing (Administrator Appointed) (OneSteel) operation, restricting space in which to move the giant ladles carrying the molten steel on the LMF turrets.
This rise meant the ladles could sometimes scrape along the floor when being moved into position, risking damage and further issues in the casters, while maintenance of the turrets and cleaning could also be problematical with skid-steer loaders unable to get into the space to regularly clean the basement area.
What followed was a detailed and meticulously planned operation to lance and remove this 140-tonne slab of solidified steel. It basically involved cutting (lancing) the giant slab of steel into 500mm x 500mm bits and dragging them out with skid-steer loaders.
Working in difficult conditions over 27 days required resilience, professionalism, and commitment and the result speaks for itself
Amrit Mangat
General Manager Operations Steelworks, Amrit Mangat said the removal of this amount of solidified steel was no small task.
“It was a demanding, physically challenging, and high-risk piece of work that required persistence, teamwork, and disciplined execution over an extended period,” he said.
“It wasn’t just the scale of the task but the way the team approached it with safety the utmost consideration … the crews demonstrated real leadership by pausing, reassessing risks, refining the approach and ensuring the work was completed safely.
“That is exactly the mindset we need across our operations, production and recovery are important, but never at the expense of safety.”
Amrit said the project could not have been completed without a combined effort from the frontline personnel – who undertook the lancing, bobcat operations, spotting, ventilation, logistics and crane activities – along with maintenance staff, behind the scenes planners, safety officers and leaders who also pitched in on the tools.
“Working in difficult conditions over 27 days required resilience, professionalism, and commitment and the result speaks for itself,” Amrit said.
“Equally important is recognising the many people who contributed behind the scenes … large jobs like this are never accomplished by individuals alone and every maintenance intervention, delivery, crane lift, planning discussion and helping hand played a part in reaching the finish line.
“This achievement reflects the character of all involved and demonstrates what can be accomplished when people work together with a clear purpose, strong teamwork and an unwavering focus on safety.”
The project, and recovery of this solidified steel, was all done inhouse with zero contractor spend while also presenting an economic opportunity with valuable scrap recovered and re-utilised.
Main picture and top right: Some of the crew involved in the clean up, left to right, Stephen Atkinson, Kobi Butler, Josh Atkinson, Jacob Blackwell, Steven Hood, Angela Sunman, Robert Merrit, Barry Drage, Aime Clemens and David Martin. Above right: Oxygen cutting of the steel in the turret basement.
