top ten accidents and metal smelting number ten
slag explosions slag or metal waste is the waste material after or purification
that will not be used in the metal processing though there has been a
progress in recycling this waste material in the last years a significant
portion of it is still stored as dump in special containers placed in big holes
on the ground at least 24 hours are needed for slag to become solid and be
disposed up we must point out that after that time
waste is still red hot a problem from this action could be when due to several
factors when metal impurities mix with water for instance a big explosion can
occur in addition just a little amount of liquid is enough to start
deflagration slag also brings other hazards to workers they are less visible
though in some occasions they emit toxic gases that could be lethal if workers do
not have the proper protection electric arc furnaces the electric arc furnaces
have been substituting traditional furnaces and many steel plants worldwide
the main reason for this substitution is their high effectiveness when producing
metal from ore for example and more advanced workshops these types of
furnaces may produce up to 80 metric tons of liquid steel in just 60 minutes
of functioning to heat steel an electric current going from one electrode to
another is used despite the fact that these types of furnaces are considered
much safer than the former ones they are not free from risk they must be cooled
with water and any little mistake when introducing the electrodes into them or
any rest of the moisture on them could produce an explosion this is what seems
to happen in the video when it is very hot
we can hear small explosions and they continue to increase until a bigger
explosion occurs another explanation for this explosion may be
any mechanical human error when introducing electrodes that have been
overheated or that generates sparks in arc furnaces for cast steel electrodes
are put into on top of the tank and it is not always easy to do it properly on
the other hand accidents like the one in this video can occur in this case the
problem may be caused by the amount of slag in the furnace this material
behaves similarly to volcanic lava flames are spread everywhere and in the
end all content is spread all over the place number eight explosion in the
boiler boilers are very important in the metal industry they are defined as
closed pressure vessel where a fluid is heated by applying the resulting heat
externally there are diverse types of boilers with a different characteristics
depending on their structure and way of functioning in general they are elements
that involve several safety measures but when they fail serious accidents may
occur the most serious accidents can produce dangerous explosions one of the
main causes of these explosions is the low level of water that's needed to cool
the boiler the overheating of the structure causes deflagration
and a subsequent disaster all boilers must have at least two indicators for
water levels accidents are normally produced by human error and the
maintenance of this device another possible cause for accidents is the
corrosion of the material they are built with and of course when water is mixed
with a boiler content number 7 one of the hazards to be considered in the
metal industry is fire fire increases the possibilities for accidents to occur
there are several causes for a fire to be started in these factories the first
cost to be considered a static electricity
this is originated by surface friction and it can be accumulated until it
begins to produce sparks that will start the fire another cause of these accident
is heat generation by machines the flammable liquid and the liquids used
for cooling these machines may be a cause for these accidents we can also
point out as causes of fire are the overheating of electricity conducting
cables and the spontaneous combustion of chemical products produced by high
temperatures that are usually common in these factories experts also emphasize
the use of oils to lubricate or cool the machines these oils are in many
occasions they're responsible for the start of fires they also contribute with
their fast spread and very dangerous toxic smoke number 6 moisture water
entry or just simple moisture in the boiler can produce very dangerous
explosions that could put at risk the workers integrity in the metal industry
liquid steel can reach 1500 degrees Celsius and when water makes contact
with it everything put together can explode it is important to know that
water boils at 100 degrees Celsius therefore when water is mixed with the
metallic material it starts to boil violently it is important to bridge the
gap as when a drop of water falls onto boiling oil but considering that water
expands one 1,700 times when it transforms into steam though this causes
explosions and closed spaces this effect can be seen perfectly in this video the
liquid has entered the boiler and it blows up violently it is about accidents
that often occur an autumn and winter where there is more moisture in the
environment besides this water can enter into the boiler accidentally by a break
in it similarily these accidents are likely to
happen when the machine has not been pre fitted properly number 5
dumping and slack we cannot consider the slag dumping as an accident but the
consequences of this action can be very negative slag or waste originated from
ore smelting to purify metals it is about waste residues of this process and
it is a mixture of metallic oxides in some occasions
it also contains metal sulfides at present slag storage and later treatment
is assessed most of it can be reused for diverse commercial use while another
part is dumped in special areas the problem arises when some industries
located in countries that are disrespectful with the environment
dumped these wastes into the natural areas or one by any accident they end up
out of the dumping grounds causing damage to soil and rivers as it happened
in Hungary on the other hand according to ecologists even though the slag is
dumped and authorized areas it always causes high pollution reaching fields
and water that are far away from the area it was dumped number forms steel
casting ladle break broadly speaking the steel casting ladle is a tool used in
the metal refining and casting it is used to transport and pour the red-hot
metal they are made of steel and have a refractory lining to withstand high
temperatures lately it has become a metallurgic reactor this has obviously
expanded not only their capacity but increase the possibility for accidents
to occur as you see in this video the workers driving the crane made a mistake
that fortunately did not cause damage moreover when pouring the metal cast the
ladle adjustment to make bail and accidents may occur this happened in
hwacha pato where an explosion took place to finish it it is important to
point out that sometimes there may be mechanic failures in the steel casting
ladles due to poor maintenance in the fireproof
lining high temperatures of metals may damage the ladle when the cast metal is
poured into it and those events workers are exposed to
high risk as dangerous fires can suddenly be started number three
molten metal splashes one of the most common risks and metal smelting are the
splashes of molten metal it is in fact one of the points for risk prevention
this is because of the relative frequency of an event like that it also
may bring very serious consequences for workers as an example iron and
derivative alloys such as steel can reach a melting temperature of about
1700 degrees Celsius one of the causes often pointed out by the experts is the
electrolytic reduction this is a method to eliminate oxygen from metallic oxides
through electrolysis this method may originate small explosions obviously a
splash at that high of a temperature can cause serious injury that's why the
selection of fabric to make the protective suits it is very important as
these suits could protect and save lives number two eruptions and metal casting
centers the steel smelting activities are riskier than other industrial
activities one of the causes is in fact the high possibility for explosions to
occur a very risky event is the metal casting process this process consists of
pouring this melted metal into a cast for it to become solid one of the causes
in this process for an explosion to occur is water and any component
involved in the process for instance rest of water and the sand used to make
temporary casts additionally casts must be preheated to avoid any hazard if
there is liquid in any of the other pieces this could also cause a
deflagration there is a common saying known by the workers of the steel
smelting activities this saying warns too hot to touch it is wet number one
fire loops or Cabo in spite of its showing us this kind of accident can be
lethal for workers who are near the temperature this kind of molten metal
loops is extremely high these loops are capable of causing very serious injuries
to anyone who has reached or touched by them it could be said that these loops
are sort of a spill of this melted metal this phenomenon happens when metal is
heated and it is put onto rollers to change its shape and send it to a
conveyor machine as a result of a timing error in the process the metal is
ejected at a very high speed from its way in the rollers it is necessary to
take into account that these rollers leave less room among them the way the
process is in progress this is why they get this strange shape and fall forming
burning circles we can see an example in this Factory in Poland we can see
perfectly the moment when the metal is shot out from the rollers and forms a
big ring of molten metal fortunately there are not workers nearby when this
happens as there are no protective suits to resist the high temperature of these
loops