How STEEL is MADE in Great Britain!

Summary

Join the journey through a steel production plant, where 3.6 million tons of steel are made annually. Witness the transformation of raw materials into molten iron, then steel, in the blast furnaces. Explore the control room, learn about the 24/7 operation, and the massive undertaking of furnace relining. Discover the intricacies of steelmaking, from desulfurization to alloying, and the impressive continuous caster. Experience the heat, scale, and passion of workers who take pride in their craft, passed down through generations. Sponsored by ShipStation, this episode offers insights into efficient e-commerce shipping solutions.

Takeaways

• 🏭 The facility produces around 3.6 million tons of steel annually, utilizing its proximity to the sea for shipping in raw materials like iron ore and coal.
• 🔨 Iron ore is turned into iron through a process in the blast furnace where carbon from coke reacts with the oxygen in the iron ore, removing it and creating molten iron.
• 🚂 Molten iron, carried in 350-ton Torpedoes, is transported for further refining into steel after being tapped from the blast furnace.
• 🕒 The operation at the blast furnaces is continuous, running 24 hours a day, with relining only occurring every several years for maintenance purposes.
• 👷‍♂️ Workers wear gas monitors for safety when near the furnaces due to the potential presence of harmful gases.
• 🌡️ The blast furnace is subjected to extreme heat, with the tuyeres (pipes) used to inject air and oxygen mixtures at 2,000 degrees Celsius.
• 🛠️ Copper is used for the tuyeres due to its high thermal conductivity, allowing for efficient cooling despite the intense heat.
• ♻️ The desulfurization process removes sulfur from the molten iron using a lance with powdered reagents and nitrogen gas.
• 🗑️ Slag, a byproduct of the iron-making process, is separated from the iron and removed, as it is less dense and floats on top of the molten iron.
• 🛑 The steel production process involves several stages of heating, rolling, and shaping the steel to the desired specifications before it is coiled for storage or further processing.
• 🛒 The video is sponsored by ShipStation, a web-based e-commerce shipping platform that streamlines shipping processes and offers preferential shipping rates.

Q & A

What is the annual steel production capacity of the plant mentioned in the script?

The plant produces around 3.6 million tons of steel each year.

What are the main raw materials used in the steel production process described in the script?

The main raw materials used are iron ore and coal, which are shipped to the plant due to its location by the sea.

How is the iron ore processed in the blast furnace?

In the blast furnace, the carbon from the coke reacts with the oxygen in the iron ore, removing the oxygen and turning the ore into iron.

What is the purpose of the control room for the blast furnaces?

The control room is where the operation of the blast furnaces is overseen and managed, with a specialist operator for each furnace and a process section overseeing the overall operation.

How often do the blast furnaces need to be re-lined, and what does this process involve?

The blast furnaces require re-lining every several years; for example, one was re-lined in 2018 after 15 years of operation. This is a significant and expensive process involving removing the old lining and replacing it with a new one.

What is the role of the gas monitor worn by the visitors in the plant?

The gas monitor is worn to ensure safety by monitoring the presence of potentially harmful gases in the vicinity of the industrial processes.

What is the function of the 'Tria' in the blast furnace?

The 'Tria', made of copper, is located inside the blast furnace at its hottest point. It is where the hot air and oxygen mix is forced through to facilitate the chemical reactions necessary for steel production.

Why is copper used for the Trias despite having a lower melting point than steel?

Copper is used because of its high conductivity, which allows the water cooling to remove heat from the copper more effectively than it would from steel or iron.

What happens to the molten iron after it is tapped from the blast furnace?

After being tapped, the molten iron flows through channels into a hopper, from which it is then transferred into train cars or 'Torpedoes' that carry 350 tons of molten iron at a time for further refining into steel.

What is the process of desulfurization in the steel production, and how is it achieved?

Desulfurization is the process of removing sulfur from the molten iron. It is achieved by pumping a mixture of powdered reagents and nitrogen gas into the ladle containing the molten iron, which reacts to remove the sulfur.

How is the molten steel transformed into a solid slab in the continuous caster?

The molten steel is poured into a continuous caster, where it flows through water-cooled copper molds to solidify into a large slab. The slab is then slowly pulled out over rollers and cut into specific lengths for further processing.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 Exploring the Blast Furnace Process

The video script begins with a visit to a steel plant, focusing on the blast furnace operation. The plant produces approximately 3.6 million tons of steel annually, utilizing its coastal location to import raw materials like iron ore and coal. These materials are transformed into coke and then used in the blast furnace, where carbon reacts with iron ore to produce molten iron. The control room is introduced, highlighting the 24/7 operation and the significant cost and effort required for maintenance, such as re-lining the furnace every 15 years. Safety measures, including gas monitors, are also discussed. The tour continues to the blast furnace forecast, explaining the process of tapping molten iron and separating slag, before moving on to the triers where air and oxygen mixtures are forced into the furnace at high temperatures and pressures.

05:01

🔧 Transition from Iron to Steel Production

The script continues with the journey of molten iron from the blast furnace to the basic oxygen steel plant. Torpedoes, carrying 350 tons of molten iron, are emptied into ladles, which are then taken to a desulfurization station. Here, sulfur is removed from the iron using a lance with powdered reagents and nitrogen gas. The process involves mechanical scraping of slag and the addition of alloying components in the secondary steel-making area to create specific types of steel. The molten steel is then transported to the continuous caster, where it undergoes further processing to form solid bars or slabs.

10:03

🔩 Hot Rolling and Steel Production Details

The narrative shifts to the hot rolling process, where slabs of steel are heated in a furnace for about three hours before being rolled into thinner sheets. The host meets Steve, who guides the tour through the mill, explaining the machinery and processes involved in reducing the thickness and width of the steel slabs. The focus is on the efficiency of the operation, with automatic flame cutting heads cutting 10-meter lengths of steel, which are then sent for further processing. The importance of maintaining and replacing rollers due to wear is highlighted, as is the continuous monitoring and adjustment of the steel's temperature throughout the process.

15:04

📦 Sponsorship and Shipping Solutions

The final paragraph of the script transitions to a sponsorship message, thanking ShipStation for their support. The host discusses the importance of efficient shipping processes, especially during the peak e-commerce season. ShipStation is introduced as a web-based e-commerce shipping platform that offers customizable presets and automations, making the shipping process almost one-click. It integrates with various e-commerce selling platforms and provides preferential shipping prices. The host encourages viewers to try ShipStation with a 60-day free trial and reflects on the experience at Tata Steel, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to learn about steel production in Great Britain.

Keywords

💡Blast Furnace

A blast furnace is a large structure used in the process of smelting to produce metals, typically iron, from their ore. In the context of the video, the blast furnace is central to the steel production process, where carbon from coke reacts with oxygen in iron ore to produce molten iron. The script mentions that the plant produces around 3.6 million tons of steel annually, highlighting the scale of operation.

💡Iron Ore

Iron ore is a rock from which metallic iron can be extracted. It is a key raw material in the production of steel. The script describes the process of shipping in iron ore to the plant, which is then turned into iron by reacting with coke in the blast furnace, emphasizing the importance of this material in steelmaking.

💡Coke

Coke is a high-carbon content fuel derived from coal and used in smelting processes, such as in blast furnaces. It serves as a reducing agent to convert iron ore into iron. The video script refers to the coking plant, where coal is turned into coke, and the subsequent use of coke in the blast furnace.

💡Molten Iron

Molten iron refers to iron in its liquid state, typically produced in the blast furnace. In the video, molten iron is mentioned as it runs down from the furnace into torpedoes, which carry it for further refining into steel, illustrating the transformation process from raw material to finished product.

💡Control Room

The control room is the central location where operators oversee and manage the industrial processes of the steel plant. The script describes the control room for the blast furnaces, indicating the presence of specialist operators and a process section overseeing the operation, which is crucial for the continuous production of steel.

💡Desulfurization

Desulfurization is the process of removing sulfur from molten iron or steel. This is important as sulfur can negatively affect the quality of steel. The script describes the desulfurization station where a lance with powdered reagents and nitrogen gas is used to remove sulfur from the molten iron.

💡Tundish

A tundish is an intermediate container used in the continuous casting process to collect and distribute molten steel to the mold. The script mentions the tundish as part of the process where molten steel from the ladle is transferred to the continuous caster, highlighting a key step in the steel solidification process.

💡Continuous Caster

A continuous caster is a machine used to convert molten steel into solid steel in a continuous operation. The script describes the continuous caster's role in forming the molten steel into a solid slab, which is then cut into lengths for further processing, showing the transition from liquid to solid state in steel production.

💡Hot Rolling

Hot rolling is a process of rolling steel at high temperatures, typically above the recrystallization temperature, to form it into various shapes. The script refers to the slabs being taken for hot rolling, which is a critical step in shaping the steel slabs into usable products.

💡Slag

Slag is a byproduct of the smelting process, consisting of impurities and other materials that are separated from the molten metal. In the script, slag is mentioned as being separated from the molten iron during the tapping process, indicating the need to remove unwanted materials to produce pure steel.

💡ShipStation

ShipStation is a web-based e-commerce shipping platform designed to streamline the shipping process for online sellers. The script mentions ShipStation as the sponsor of the video, highlighting its benefits such as integration with various e-commerce platforms and preferential shipping rates, which is relevant to the video's sponsor message.

Highlights

Introduction to the sponsor, ShipStation, offering a 60-day free trial.

Tour of a steel plant with an annual production of around 3.6 million tons.

The plant's strategic location by the sea facilitates the import of raw materials like iron ore and coal.

Description of the process where coke reacts with iron ore to produce iron in the blast furnace.

Visit to the control room for the blast furnaces, managed by specialist operators.

Continuous operation of the plant, 24 hours a day, with furnace relining occurring every 15 years.

Use of a gas monitor for safety when working near potentially hazardous materials.

Observation of the tapping process where molten iron is released from the blast furnace.

Explanation of the separation process for slag and iron during the tapping.

Introduction to the triers, where air and oxygen mixtures are pumped into the blast furnace at high temperatures.

Technical details on why copper is used in the tuyeres of the blast furnace due to its conductivity.

Transition to the basic oxygen steel plant where the molten iron from the blast furnace is processed.

Description of the desulfurization process and the removal of slag in the steel production.

Role of Operational Support in ensuring safety, environmental protection, and fire precautions.

Cultural significance of the steel plant with generations of families working there.

Process of alloying in the secondary steel making area to create specific steel grades.

Introduction to the continuous caster and the formation of steel into solid bars or slabs.

Automation and efficiency in the steel rolling process, including the rapid replacement of rollers.

Final steps in steel production, including coiling and cutting the steel for further processing.

Sponsorship acknowledgment and the importance of efficient shipping processes for e-commerce.

Transcripts

get a 60-day free trial from today's

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Forge welcome back we are in way

who's gonna be our tour guide for the

day we're outside the blast furnace how

many million tons of steel do you guys

make each year so around 3.6 million

tons a year at the moment so because

this plant is right at the sea they can

ship in a huge amount of their raw

materials and that includes iron ore and

coal that then gets turned into Coke a

coking plant and here in the blast

furnace the carbon from the coke is

reacting with the oxygen in the iron ore

getting rid of it turning it into iron

which then runs down once tapped in its

molten State into these Torpedoes

carrying 350 tons of it at a time for it

to be refined into steel so the first

place we're going to is the control room

for the blast furnaces so there's one

control room two blast furnaces hey how

are you yeah nice to see you

[Music]

goodness gracious yeah this is what I

was talking about no Center that's the

sort of man-made pellet man-made pellet

sinter Coke there's our Coke I recognize

that so from the old videos you know

what Coke looks like then the iron ore

can come centered like this it almost

looks like clinker that you make in a

Coke Forge but this is iron ore so it's

a little bit porous they also have iron

pellets but this is a more expensive

option and so they're typically not

using iron pellets you've got two desks

here effectually so number four yeah

number five so they're the two separate

controls for the two separate blast

furnaces so you have a specialist

operator on each furnace and then at the

back to sq you have a process section

you just saw he oversees the operation

essentially and this is never ending

does this ever shut down for the day or

is it a 24 hour yes 24 hours the only

time you ever take furnace off if you're

going to rebuild it or realign it how

often do you have to re-line a furnace

um well we've re-lined a partial reline

of number five into 2018

and that was after 15 years number fours

was 2008 I believe but that's that's a

significant I mean that's tens of

millions of pounds of work to justify

taking their Furniture completely yeah

that was off for six months

the orange thing that we're wearing

right here is a gas monitor so you've

got to have one when you're near all

this stuff for the gases make sure that

you're not gonna die but it beeps

periodically so that's what you're

hearing good to meet you mark where are

we going now uh so we're going to go up

to blast furnace forecast out this is

our project

how long have you worked here uh 17

years now do you like it yeah I do those

Hoppers are taking iron ore and Coke up

to be put into the blast furnace

foreign

behind all this hot stuff is the blast

furnace stack this is the drill that

they use to tap it so this comes in with

a drill bit drills a hole through the

clay and releases all the molten iron it

then flows through this channel in the

ground

back here

into a hopper that looks like this and

then this Hopper pulls it into train

cars in Torpedoes 350 tons at a time for

it to be sent off to be made into steel

the scale of this is ridiculous the

smell the heat in the air the sulfur it

is lovely it's like being in a

blacksmith workshop for the first time

when I was 11 but the scale is just

ridiculous so as the iron is tapped

there is obviously slag with it they

need to separate it so as it runs down

there's a little partition because the

swag is less dense it's at the top it

then gets sent off to the side when it's

gathered the iron runs underneath

through these two channels and you can

see it glowing underneath gonna now go

see the triers this is where they're

pumping in a mixture of air and oxygen

at 2 000 degrees

[Applause]

[Music]

so now we get an idea of the scale of

the blast furnace the diameter of it 32

is a forcing hot air and oxygen into

this thing what pressure have we got uh

normally about three bar you see the

scale of that one pipe out of 30. it's

nuts and all of this has to be water

cooled so it doesn't overheat so there's

pipes everywhere here you've got coal

dust being injected in with the hot air

and oxygen incredible so the Tria is

made of 100 copper and it sits in inside

the Blaster and it's at its hottest

point this is where that hot air and

oxygen mix is forced through so they've

got these gigantic damage to pipes

forcing water through the thing because

it is inside the furnace yet somehow

doesn't melt so a question I had was why

copper when copper has a lower melting

point than steel purely because the

conductivity level of copper in

comparison to other Steels so it would

the water cooling can take the heat out

of the copper easier than steel or iron

absolutely that's so neat thank you both

for showing us the blast furnace we are

now going to head off to where the

Torpedoes go and see the basic oxygen

steel plant

[Music]

so through here is where the Torpedoes

that come from the blast furnace are

emptied out and there we go there are

the rail cars and Torpedoes you see how

hot the thing is so where is it tipped

so the label will come down here the

torpedo will tip over and pour the iron

into the ladle then the crane will take

the ladle up there to the

desulfurization station so they

desulfurize it by having a lance with

some powdered reagents and nitrogen gas

it flows in there and somehow there's no

sulfur that's right

self is gone no problems and after the

deculfurizing they can then scrape off

the slag while it's all molten there

with a mechanically controlled arm from

a control room so what is it that you do

in this on this plan well I'm

Operational Support okay look after the

people on plant look after safety the

environment and the fire precautions

that are in place everyone goes home is

that the way they come in how many years

have you worked here 28 28 years and do

you like it love it still still what a

dream and every person that we've talked

to feels the same way yeah it's in our

blood still make it to no blood we've

already spoken to one person whose

father works here yes

yeah my dad worked here for around 30

years as well she worked in a Lambo and

steel works just down the road

unbelievable and I presume that a lot of

your colleagues have again

for generations of people that have

worked here generations and generations

we've got people who've got grandfathers

and grandfathers fathers who worked here

as well

nobody's ever going to get the scale of

this are they it just will not come

across the arm on that Ladle has got to

be what 20 foot long 15 20 foot long and

up it goes like it's nothing 400 plus

tons it's like the size of a house

but it's filled with molten iron

[Music]

so this is all maintaining the ladles so

every single time a ladles use they've

got to send it back over to here

replug it but every now and then they'll

re-line them so take all the old bricks

out and they'll put new bricks in and

that's kind of done by hand doesn't it

[Music]

so back over on that side where you saw

them messing around with the huge Ladle

that's because they were pumping in the

oxygen to get rid of the excess carbon

to turn it into a bog standard kind of

Steel they put some of the other

alloying components in there but to make

it exactly what they need it gets poured

out into another ladle it goes

underneath this over into this big Bay

here and this is what they call their

secondary steel making area where they

add the final alloying components that

they may need so say they need to make a

5160 strip stock well they could get it

set up here put the right amount in

carbon the right amount of silicon

that's as far as I understand

[Music]

so when the steel is mixed up right it

gets transported over here to The

Continuous Caster so that Ladle is full

of molten steel the perfect alloy

they're going to put it into this

machine

spin it round over to here

and that slab in the ground has a hole

and from the bottom of the ladle they're

going to tap that molten steel through

the hole it's going to go underground

it's going to go through some water

cooled copper molds to be formed into a

solid bar a giant slab of the stuff so

this is the tundish that moves

underneath the ladle to collect the

molten steel to then send it through the

hole oh and it's all spinning

goodness gracious me Ladle spins over on

top of the tundish

[Laughter]

[Music]

1560 degrees Celsius toasty so right

here underground this is what the

continuous Caster looks like there's

water cooled rollers and there's a mold

at the top it comes down then it comes

out and looks like this

foreign

[Applause]

and that must be 10 or 12 inches six

four or five feet wide it is huge and as

it is slowly pulled out down these

rollers there's an automatic flame

cutting head that cuts 10 meter lengths

the 10 meter length is 30 tons which is

all that they can manage it being for

taking it for hot rolling and that's

where we're going so here are some of

the slabs that have come off the line

you can see they're still probably 700

800 degrees Celsius

foreign

[Music]

Mill with Steve who's going to be

showing us around we're very excited to

see this because we get to see the hot

steel at last that's the furnace the

leaves go in

let's pick the slab up drop it on the

roller tables yeah oh my God what's the

furnace in there so you can see the slab

coming up and down it goes 30 tons of

steel effortlessly

and how many hours does a cold slab take

to heat up those are those three hours

normally three hours in there I think

it's something like that oh yeah wow

this is the HSB when the bar comes down

you will stop in the Square engage there

so the bar come down the Gaze will come

in put the bar on Central and square it

up as well

again

[Music]

so this giant unit is sending the slabs

back and forth pulling it down in size

then they're sent down here to a coiling

box to conserve space in the factory

even when it's nice and thick they coil

it up they're just unbelievable that has

got to be 40 millimeter thick steel

coiled and uncoiled almost effortlessly

so once they uncoil it they are sending

it through all these rolls every single

one getting smaller controlling the

thickness controlling the width to make

the final product look Jamie another one

getting coiled it is one after the other

after the other unbelievable if we get

to the end of the coil they cut it so

they have a nice Square end

oh my goodness gracious

[Music]

every two or three hours the rollers

that are rolling to steal are so worn

they need to be replaced so right here

staged off to the side are fresh rollers

well every two or three hours they've

got to change them to do this the floor

shifts hydraulic cylinders pick up the

old rollers shove in the new ones and

all seven stations have new rollers

fitted in seven to eight minutes so as

the metal comes out of those rollers

down here

they're continuously checking the

temperature of the steel adjusting the

spray as necessary so it's just right

[Music]

so that's where we were the steel strip

comes back all the way out over here it

gets coiled

and then the coil looks like this and

that exact coil is very possibly

the same Billet of Steel that we saw

being rolled just a few seconds ago

several hundred meters all the way over

there and that's the story of how steel

gets made here in Great Britain and that

is quite a thing thank you so much for

having us it's a pleasure having you

here

oh my goodness dream like a kid in a

candy shop thank you to Tata steel for

having us sharing this with us and all

of you guys

thank you thank you Steve I'm so

grateful I'm sorry today's episode has

been sponsored by ship station and as we

get to the busiest time for e-commerce

in the entire year it's been very

important for us at the Alex steel Co to

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privilege see you all soon bye

[Music]