Furnaces and smelting
Blast furnace and converter gas, electric arc and induction furnaces, ladle treatment. Process gas is itself the hazard, and the areas around gas cleaning, bleeders and downcomers are the classic carbon monoxide zones.
Industries
Metallurgy
Furnaces, casting, forging, rolling and metal cutting. Metallurgy produces the one gas hazard that people consistently underestimate — carbon monoxide in quantities that make an area lethal long before anything smells wrong.
Processes
What happens in this sector
Casting, forging and rolling
Continuous casting, forging presses, rolling stands, run-out tables. Hydraulic power units, high temperature measurement and heavy wear parts define the supply side.
Heat treatment and finishing
Annealing and hardening under protective atmosphere, pickling lines, metal cutting and surface treatment. Hydrogen and nitrogen atmospheres bring their own detection problem.
Hazards
Which gases, and where they occur
| Carbon monoxide | Blast furnace and converter gas systems, gas cleaning, reheating furnaces, gas distribution stations. |
|---|---|
| Sulphur dioxide | Roasting and smelting of sulphidic ores, sinter plants — the reason the fourth channel of a portable instrument should not automatically be CO. |
| Hydrogen | Annealing atmospheres and hydrogen distribution. A hydrogen flame is nearly invisible to conventional flame detectors. |
| Oxygen deficiency | Nitrogen and argon inerted furnaces, pits, ladle and tundish areas. |
| Natural gas | Burner supply lines to furnaces and heat treatment lines, measured as percentage of the lower explosive limit. |
Matching equipment
Which instruments fit
Honeywell BW™ Icon and Icon+
Four-gas personal protection with sulphur dioxide as the fourth channel where the toxic hazard is not carbon monoxide.
Honeywell BW™ Icon and Icon+ in detailHoneywell BW™ Flex
Serviceable portable instrument with a choice of more than 15 sensors, for gas lists that fall outside the standard four.
Honeywell BW™ Flex in detailSensepoint range: XCD, XCL, XRL and Series 3000
Fixed detection for carbon monoxide and natural gas in furnace areas, gas distribution stations and pits, including high temperature sensor versions.
Sensepoint range: XCD, XCL, XRL and Series 3000 in detailFS24X Plus flame detector
Triple-infrared flame detection covering both hydrocarbon and hydrogen fires in one device.
FS24X Plus flame detector in detailTouchpoint Plus, Touchpoint Pro and controllers
Controllers sized against the final state of the installation, with visibility of fixed detection and portable area monitors in one place.
Touchpoint Plus, Touchpoint Pro and controllers in detailComponents and spare parts
Components and spare parts
- Hydraulic parts, cylinders and power unit components for presses and casting equipment
- Motors, drives and gearboxes with repair and revamp
- Industrial pumps and compressors
- High temperature measurement, process control and laboratory equipment
- Electrical and control system components
Services in this sector
- Measuring point concepts for furnace and gas distribution areas
- Installation and commissioning coordinated with the shutdown schedule
- Calibration, maintenance and functional testing of the alarm chain
- Repair of gearboxes, bearings and pumps, revamp of motors and compressors
FAQ
Questions about Metallurgy
Why should the fourth channel of our detectors be sulphur dioxide and not carbon monoxide?
Because the relevant toxic hazard depends on the process. In sinter plants and in the roasting and smelting of sulphidic ores, sulphur dioxide is the substance that reaches harmful concentrations; carbon monoxide dominates around blast furnace and converter gas. If both are credible in the same area, the answer is a configurable instrument or a five-gas detector, not a compromise.
Our annealing line is moving to hydrogen. What does that change for fire detection?
A hydrogen flame emits almost no visible light and very little in the infrared bands that conventional hydrocarbon flame detectors monitor, so existing detection can be blind to the new risk. The FS24X Plus is specified for both hydrocarbon and hydrogen fires in one device, which is normally the cleanest route when a plant adds hydrogen to an existing process.
Enquiry
Send us your specification
Send us your requests with technical specifications to receive a prompt reply from our industry specialists. For gas detection, add the gases and the zone classification.
Or by email: purchasing@vertex-group.de