Automated dosing technology for water and corrosion management in HBI production

The Challenge

At one of the world’s largest iron ore mines, a vast amount of water is used for HBI production, cooling, and plant operations. Corrosion, scaling, and deposits in pipes and systems pose a direct threat to system availability, maintenance costs, and process reliability. With the expansion to become the world’s largest HBI plant (1.8 million t/year), the demand for stable, adaptable water and chemical treatment increased significantly. At the same time, dosing systems must respond to changing operating conditions and function reliably in large numbers. The search was on for a scalable, automated solution for continuous operation under extreme conditions.

The sera Solution

sera supplied more than thirty modified dosing systems based on the CTD, CVD, and PolyLine models for the polymer preparation process. The systems are equipped with intelligent dosing pumps and Profibus connectivity, allowing dosing to be adjusted to changing operating parameters. Depending on requirements, corrosion inhibitors, caustic soda, and other chemicals are dosed into the respective circuits. The systems were adapted for on-site use (including Russian user interfaces) and certified accordingly. This resulted in a standardized yet project-specific dosing concept for large-scale continuous operation.

Customer Benefits

• Reduced risks of corrosion, scaling, and fouling in water and cooling circuits
• Stable, adaptable dosing operation for an HBI plant with an output of 1.8 million t/year
• Scalable system concept with over 30 automated dosing systems
• Increased availability and reduced maintenance requirements for water-carrying systems

Summary

The project demonstrates that large-scale plants fail not due to mechanical issues, but rather due to unstable water chemistry—and that scaled, automated dosing technology is a decisive factor for safe continuous operation.