2015

INTERNSHIP REPORTJanuary 2015

Hi Tech Carbon [Aditya Birla Nuvo, Ltd] Gummudipoondi, Tamil Nadu

Student

Program

Department

Internship Supervisor

Sahil Ali Tonse [4MW12ME082]

B.E. [Mechanical Engineering]

Shri MAdhwa Vadiraja Institute of Technology & Management, Bantakal.

Mechanical Engineering

Mr. Prajwala Sameera, Frontline Engg.

ADITYA BIRLA GROUP

A US $40 billion corporation, the Aditya Birla Group is in the League of Fortune 500. It is anchored by an extraordinary force of over 120,000 employees belonging to 42 different nationalities. The Group has been ranked Number 4 in the global 'Top Companies for Leaders' survey and ranked Number 1 in Asia Pacific for 2011. 'Top Companies for Leaders' is the most comprehensive study of organisational leadership in the world conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune Magazine, and RBL (a strategic HR and Leadership Advisory firm). The Group has topped the Nielsen's Corporate Image Monitor 2012-13 and emerged as the Number 1 corporate, the 'Best in Class'

Over 50 per cent of the Aditya Birla Group's revenues flow from its overseas operations. The Group operates in 36 countries – Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Korea, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, and Vietnam.

Aditya Birla Group – The Global Scenario

Around the world, we're known for:

A metals powerhouse, among the world's most cost-efficient aluminium and copper producers. Hindalco-Novelis is the largest aluminium rolling company. It is one of the three biggest producers of primary aluminium in Asia with the largest single location copper smelter

No.1 in viscose staple fibre No.1 in carbon black The fourh-largest producer of insulators The fourh-largest producer of acrylic fibre Among the top 10 cement producers Among the best energy-efficient fertiliser plants The largest Indian MNC with manufacturing operations in the USA

Aditya Birla Group – The Indian Scenario

In India, here's what we have accomplished:

The largest fashion (premium branded apparel) and lifestyle player The second-largest manufacturer and largest exporter of viscose filament yarn The largest producer in the chlor-alkali sector Among the top three mobile telephony companies A leading player in life insurance and asset management Among the top two supermarket chains in the retail business The largest manufacturer of linen fabric

Rock solid in fundamentals, the Aditya Birla Group nurtures a culture where success does not come in the way of the need to keep learning afresh, to keep experimenting.

INTERNSHIP REPORTJanuary 2015

Hi Tech Carbon [Aditya Birla Nuvo, Ltd] Gummudipoondi, Tamil Nadu

BIRLA CARBON

Hi-Tech Carbon, the carbon black business of Aditya Birla Nuvo, caters to the tyre and non-tyre industry with a vision to be the most respected, green, globally-advanced fillers business. 

With manufacturing plants at Renukoot in Uttar Pradesh, Patalganga in Maharashtra and Gummidipoondi in Tamilnadu, Hi-Tech Carbon is the second largest producer of carbon black in India, covering approximately 40 per cent of the domestic market share. The combined capacity stands at 314,000 mtpa including recent greenfield capacity expansion at Patalganga. 

The carbon black business under the umbrella of Aditya Birla Nuvo enjoys a satisfied customer base. Both the units are ISO/TS 16949 and QS 9000 certified for advanced quality management, ISO 14001 certified for environment management, OHSAS 18001 certified for occupational health and safety and IQRS 7 for International Quality Rating System. The laboratory located at Gummidipoondi unit is approved by NABL (ISO 17025 Certified). The R&D Centre ABFRI located at Gummidipoondi unit is approved by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The company has internalised management techniques such as 5-S, QSS, KSS, Mentor, IQRS, Six Sigma and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) practices to enrich operational performance.

Hi-Tech Carbon is also the first Carbon Black plant to be certified with OHSAS-18001 for occupational health and safety. Hi-Tech Carbon, Gummidipoondi has been conferred the coveted Deming Award for Quality (2002) by the Deming Prize Committee (JUSE), Japan. The NECA award was conferred on this unit for energy conservation. The unit has also won the Greentech Safety Award and Greentech Environment Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in safety and environment. The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award was presented to this unit for excellence in quality.

The company is one of the lowest cost producers and has the locational advantage of being near the sea coast. The company also gets value contribution from energy sales. 

The company prides itself on its consistent product quality and environmental safety standards. Hi-Tech Carbon uses the most modern technology, operated through the Distributed Control System (DCS). This process automation ensures quality and consistency in the manufacturing of Carbon Black. The manufacturing process also envisages conserving heat energy for productive utilisation through downstream processes. 

The Aditya Birla Group is the No.1 producer of carbon black in the world. Internationally, the Group has carbon black facilities at its Alexandria Carbon Black unit in Egypt, Thai Carbon Black Public Company Limited in Thailand and Liaoning Birla Carbon Black unit in China. The Group derives synergies through marketing under the brand ‘Birla Carbon’ and central procurement of feedstock.

Research & Development

As the leading Carbon Black Company, Research and Development at Birla Carbon is focused on the future by developing and using world-class Carbon Black Technology for the benefit of its customers. With established state of art technology centers located in Taloja, Maharashtra (India) and Marietta, Georgia (USA), and regional satellite laboratories, the growing and dynamic Technology Group at Birla Carbon is focused on continual enhancement in Carbon Black Technology through its efforts across Process Technology, Product Technology and Technical Service Capability. Birla Carbon forms partnerships with its customers to ensure that they obtain consistent quality and performance.

Process Technology

The Process Technology Group at Birla Carbon is leading and driving the process operations strategy of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability for the most efficient and advanced production technology. Utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and many years of top level engineering expertise, the Process Engineers continue to pioneer technology development in the manufacturing plants to deliver the quality and products that customers require in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. For example, Birla Carbon takes advantage of the additional energy in Thier plants to produce electricity for local consumption, further reducing the CO2 footprint to meet the energy needs.

Product Technology

The Product Technology Group, along with the Technical Service Capability in each region of the world, is leading the effort in ensuring that customers have all of their product-based technical needs met, including quality, performance and new products. In particular these groups work very closely with the customers on a daily basis to ensure that they have the technical support required to be successful and overcome their product challenges.

Laboratory Services

Their Technology Laboratories in Mumbai, India and Marietta, Georgia (USA) are housed in world class technical facilities containing modern laboratory equipment and experienced scientists and researchers with expertise in not just Carbon Black Technology but also across Rubber, Plastics, Inks and Coatings Technology.

These laboratories are available for the benefit of Thier customers, researching Carbon Black.

Environment

Birla Carbon’s business depends on limited natural resources such as oil, gas and water, and they recognize that they have a responsibility to grow Thier business in a way that uses these resourrces wisely. Thier environmental strategy focuses on four areas – energy and emissions, water, waste, and responsible sourcing and consumption.

Operating efficiently is vital to Birla Carbon’s continued and sustainable success. They face a number of challenges in this area, including meeting stricter regulations, implementing the latest technology at Thier plants, and attracting talented people who can operate Thier state-of-the-art plants and technology. We are committed to tackling these challenges, and they plan to do this by improving Thier manufacturing efficiency through innovation and shared expertise. This is all part of Thier Sustainable Operational Excellence approach, which helps us improve standards, operate efficiently and minimize Thier environmental impacts.

In FY2014 Birla Carbon conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure the impacts of their feedstock and carbon black – from crude oil extraction to the delivery of carbon black to thier customers’ gates. The assessment will help them better understand the impact with regard to CO2 emissions and identify opportunities to reduce thier overall carbon footprint.

CARBON BLACK

Carbon black (subtypes are acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of paracrystalline carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated carbon. It is dissimilar to soot in its much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and significantly lower (negligible and non-bioavailable) PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) content. Carbon black is mainly used as a reinforcing filler in tires and other rubber products. In plastics, paints, and inks carbon black is used as a color pigment.

Practically all rubber products where tensile and abrasion wear properties are crucial use carbon black, so they are black in color. Where physical properties are important but colors other than black are desired, such as white tennis shoes, precipitated or fumed silica has been used as a substitute for carbon black in reinforcing ability. Silica-based fillers are also gaining market share in automotive tires because they provide better trade-off for fuel efficiency and wet handling due to a lower rolling loss compared to carbon black-filled tires. Traditionally silica fillers had worse abrasion wear properties, but the technology has gradually improved to where they can match carbon black abrasion performance.

ITS USES

Total production was around 8,100,000 metric tons (8,900,000 short tons) in 2006.[4] The most common use (70%) of carbon black is as a pigment and reinforcing phase in automobile tires. Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life. Carbon black particles are also employed in some radar absorbent materials and in photocopier and laser printer toner, and other inks and paints. The high tinting strength and stability of carbon black has also provided use in coloring of resins and films. About 20% of world production goes into belts, hoses, and other non-tire rubber goods. The balance is mainly used as a pigment in inks, coatings and plastics..

Carbon black from vegetable origin is used as a food coloring, in Europe known as additive E152. It is approved for use as additive 153(Carbon blacks or Vegetable carbon)[6] in Australia and New Zealand[6] but has been banned in the USA. Additionally, the color pigment Carbon Black has been widely used in food and beverage packaging around the world for many years. It is used in multi-layer UHT milk bottles in the US, parts of Europe and Asia, and South Africa, and in items like microwavable meal trays and meat trays in New Zealand.

The highest volume use of carbon black is as reinforcing filler in rubber products, especially tires. While a pure gum vulcanizate of styrene-butadiene has a tensile strength of no more than 2.5 MPa, and almost nonexistent abrasion resistance, compounding it with 50% of its weight of carbon black improves its tensile strength and wear resistance as shown in the below table. It is used often in the Aerospace industry in elastomers for aircraft vibration control components such as engine mounts.

SKI CARBON BLACK-GUMMUDIPOONDI

SKI Carbon Black, Gummudipoondi was established in the year 1998, however the production was started in 2000.Birla Carbon produces and supplies a complete line of high quality ASTM grades for tire producers under the brand ‘Birla Carbon’ and has developed performance carbon black grades tailored to improve tire performance for tread life. The annual Carbon black production of the plant is 1.6 Lakh MTPA(Metric Tonnes Per Annum). The charge used is Carbon Black Feed Stock (CBFS) Oil imported from the United States. The plant also hosts a 33.7 MW captive power plant which uses the off gas (CO) as fuel. This plant at Gummudipoondi runs on World Class Management Standards [ISO 27001/SA 8000, ISO/TS16959,Deming TPM/WCM Silver Award,IQRS Level 7,ISO 9002/ISO14001/QS9000/OHSAS18001, SSQ6 KSS] .The plant also houses a Master batch plant producing the master batch rubber to meet customer demands. At present the types of Carbon Black being produced at the Gummudipoondi plant were

Hard Black(N220,N330,N347 Etc) - Also called as the Tread Grade Carbon.Hard grades of Carbon Black are used in treads of tyres as these are highly abrasion resistant.

Soft Black(N660,N550,650 etc) -Also called as the Carcass Grade Carbon Black. Soft grades are general purpose of fast estruding Carbon Black and find their use in the side walls of tyres and in the manufacture of tubes.

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N 650 X X X X X X X X

N 660 X X X X X X X X X X X

FUNDAMENTAL MECHANICAL DEVICES USED IN THE PLANT

1. COUPLING

A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end movement or both. By careful selection, installation and maintenance of couplings, substantial savings can be made in reduced maintenance costs and downtime

Figure 1-FLANGE COUPLING

Shaft couplings are used in machinery for several purposes. The most common of which are the

following.

To provide for the connection of shafts of units that are manufactured separately such as a motor

and generator and to provide for disconnection for repairs or alterations.

To provide for misalignment of the shafts or to introduce mechanical flexibility.

To reduce the transmission of shock loads from one shaft to another.

To introduce protection against overloads.

To alter the vibration characteristics of rotating units.

To connect driving and the driven part.

Basically there are two types of couplings-Rigid and Flexible couplings. A rigid coupling is a unit of

hardware used to join two shafts within a motor or mechanical system. It may be used to connect two

separate systems, such as a motor and a generator, or to repair a connection within a single system. A

rigid coupling may also be added between shafts to reduce shock and wear at the point where the shafts

meet.

When joining shafts within a machine, mechanics can choose between flexible and rigid couplings. While

flexible units offer some movement and give between the shafts, rigid couplings are the most effective

choice for precise alignment and secure hold.

Common types of couplings that were used in the site are flange couplings for light applications and

gear couplings for heavy duty applications.

2. BEARING

A bearing is a machine element that constrains relative motion and reduces friction between moving parts to only the desired motion. The design of the bearing may, for example, provide for free linear movement of the moving part or for free rotation around a fixed axis; or, it may prevent a motion by controlling the vectors of normal forces that bear on the moving parts.

Many bearings also facilitate the desired motion as much as possible, such as by minimizing friction. Bearings are classified broadly according to the type of operation, the motions allowed, or to the directions of the loads (forces) applied to the parts.

Bearings can be classified into various types depending on several parameters.

Depending on whether the ball or roller is used between the two bearing rings it can be classified as Ball Bearing and Cylindrical Bearing.

Depending on the load exerted on the bearing they can be classified as Radial Bearings and Thrust Bearings.

Special types of bearings include Spherical Bearing, Tapered Bearing, Needle Bearing Etc.

Types of bearings which could be seen in the plant are Cylindrical roller bearings, Ball bearings and NU Type bearings.

3. PLUMMER BLOCK

A pillow block, also known as a plummer block or bearing housing, is a pedestal used to provide support for a rotating shaft with the help of compatible bearings & various accessories. Housing material for a pillow block is typically made of cast iron or cast steel.

Figure 2 PLUMMER BLOCK

The fundamental application of both types is the same which is to mount bearings safely enabling their outer ring to be stationary while allowing rotation of the inner ring. The housing is bolted to a foundation through the holes in the base. Bearing housings are either split type or unsplit type. Split type housings are usually two piece housings where the cap and base can be detached, while certain series are one single piece housings. Various seals are provided to prevent dust and other contaminants from entering the housing. Thus the housing provides a clean environment for the expensive bearings to freely rotate, hence increasing their performance and duty cycle.

The Plummer blocks were seen housing the shafts of booster fans,blowers and other heavy duty shafts.

4. AIR COMPRESSORS

An air compressor is a device that converts power (usually from an electric motor, a diesel engine or a gasoline engine) into kinetic energy by compressing and pressurizing air, which, on command, can be released in quick bursts.

There are numerous methods of air compression, divided into either positive-displacement or negative-displacement types.

Depending on the discharge pressure

1. Low-pressure air compressors (LPACs), which have a discharge pressure of 150 psi or less

2. Medium-pressure compressors, which have a discharge pressure of 151 psi to 1,000 psi

3. High-pressure air compressors (HPACs), which have a discharge pressure above 1,000 ps

Depending on the principle of operation

1. Positive displacement Compressors.

2. Centrifugal Compressors.

Depending on the number of stages

1. Single stage Compressors.

2. Multistage Compressors.

Air compressors have a wide application in every industry specifically in Birla Carbon plant the

Multistage positive displacement compressors with intercoolers were used to generate compressed

air which was stored in pressure vessels which could be used later for the operation of various

valves and other pneumatic devices.

4. PUMPS

A pump is a device that moves fluids

(liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by

mechanical action. Pumps operate by some

mechanism (typically reciprocating or rotary),

and consume energy to perform mechanical

work by moving the fluid. Pumps operate via

many energy sources, including manual

operation, electricity, engines, or wind

power, come in many sizes, from microscopic

for use in medical

applications to large industrial pumps.

Figure 3 PUMPS

Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of applications such as pumping water from wells, aquarium

filtering, pond filtering and aeration, in the car industry for water-cooling and fuel injection, in

the energy industry for pumping oil and natural gas or for operating cooling towers.

The types of pumps used at plant site were Centrifugal Pumps for water like the feed water pumps, RO

water pumps, Condenser pumps and the Charge pumps were Screw pump type.

5. AIR BLOWERS

A centrifugal fan is a mechanical device for moving air or other gases. The terms "blower" and "squirrel cage fan" (because it looks like a hamster wheel) are frequently used as synonyms. These fans increase the speed of air stream with the rotating impellers.

They use the kinetic energy of the impellers or the rotating blade to increase the pressure of the air/gas stream which in turn moves them against the resistance caused by ducts, dampers and other components. Centrifugal fans accelerate air radially, changing the direction (typically by 90o) of the airflow. They are sturdy, quiet, reliable, and capable of operating over a wide range of conditions.

Main parts of a centrifugal fan are:

1. Fan Housing

2. Impellers

3. Inlet and outlet ducts

4. Drive Shaft

5. Drive mechanism

Other components used may include bearings, couplings, impeller locking device, fan discharge casing,

shaft seal plates etc.Centrifugal fans or blowers are used to supply air to the reactors or combustion chambers also to ensure flow of carbon particles as a booster fan.

6. HEAT EXCHANGERS

A heat exchanger is a piece of equipment built for efficient heat transfer from one medium to another. The media may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they may be in direct contact.

They are widely used in space heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, power plants, chemical plants, petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries, natural gas processing, and sewage treatment. The classic example of a heat exchanger is found in an internal combustion engine in which a circulating fluid known as engine coolant flows through radiator coils and air flows past the coils, which cools the coolant and heats the incoming air.

Heat exchangers find a wide application in industry due to their property of energy conservation, they can be found used as Air Pre-Heaters(APH), Oil Pre-Heater(OPH), Waste Heat Boiler(WHB), Super heater Etc. Thus heat exchanges help to increase the plants efficiency by utilizing the heat which would otherwise get wasted.

PRODUCTION

OVERVIEW

Carbon is a rich element present in the crude oil. The low value carbon rich residue Carbon which is a waste product from the fractional distillation process of crude oil is imported from USA since the domestic quality of CBFS is comparatively poor. It is transported to the plant site by trucks and stored in large tanks which are maintained at 90 0C with the help of steam coil. There are a total of 3 production lines at Birla Carbon Gummudipoondi. The Carbon black particles are filtered out and further processed to get the desired product whereas the off gas liberated may be burnt in the combustor to produce flue gases. These flue gases are passed through a water tube boiler and thus the generated steam may be used to produce electricity using turbines which may be used for in-plant requirements and excess may be imported to the grid. The Carbon black is stored in 16 large silos and can be packed into bags and transported based on demand. The Master batch product is produced which is the most fundamental part of tire is also produced at a on-site unit to make it convenient for their customers. The plant follows high standard operation and maintenance standard along the process.

PROCESS

Figure 4-Carbon Black Production Process

1. REACTOR- It is a cylindrical long metal shelled chamber inside which the preheated CBFS oil is subjected to combustion process. The CBFS is fed through nozzle guns mounted at ideal inclination. The filtered and preheated air creates a draft, ensure flow of gases and ensure combustion process. The oil is partially burnt to produce CO gas which contains suspended carbon particles. Before the combustion is completed, it is quenched with water using water guns. The temperature inside the reactor varies from 15000C to 20000C.

2. Air Pre-Heater (APH)- The Air Pre-Heater is a ‘Shell and Tube type Heat Exchanger’ device. The flue gases pass through the smaller tubes inside and the air from the blower flows through the shell. The hot flue gases which are at about 20000C heat the atmospheric air which is at 700 C to about 650 0 C -800 0 C which is then introduced to the reactor.

3. Waste Heat Boiler(WHB)- Waste heat boiler is a small water tube boiler which is used to generate low pressure steam at about 200o C. This is just a heat conservation device and the generated low pressure steam can be used for various domestic purposes within the plant. For

Steam at 2050

example,the steam can be used to keep the CBFS in the storage tanks warm because it may solidify at lower temperatures.

4. Oil Pre-Heater- Just like the APH and WHB, Oil Preheater is a device used to heat the charge CBFS which is delivered to it from the storage tanks via charge pumps of screw type. The oil at the outlet has attained a temperature of 2000 C. These heat conservation devices help in improving the effecieny of the plant by facilitating ideal combustion process. Not only that but this process of heat extraction also cools down the flue gas which otherwise the carbon particles would get vanished due to high temperatures an also damage the further equipment.

5. Quench tower- After the heat has been extracted from the flue gases to a certain extent now further reduction in the temoerature can be obtained by quenching the gas with water and steam.It also moistens the carbon particles so that they can be easily trapped in the filter bags.

6. Main Bag Filter(MBF)- Main bag filter is a huge chamber in which many pockets of filters are placed inside. When the gases are blown through them the wetted carbon particles stick on the surface of the bags. The bags are so designed such that only the off gas can pass through it. The bags are made to vibrate at curtained intervals using the reverse draft fans thus the carbon particles will fall down on the bottom of the container.

o Micro-pulveriser - Micro-Pulveriser is a device which further breaks down the Carbon

Black particles into finer and uniform sized granules. It is a high speed, low clearance hammer mill with very high efficiency and output. The method of size reduction is characterized by relatively high residence time, minimizing heat buildup during the milling process. The micro pulveriser and rotor assembly fitted with hammers. The grinding action takes place due to impact between the rapidly moving hammer and the particle themselves.

o Booster fan- It is a type of centrifugal blower which is used to produce a flow of Carbon

black particles coming out of the pulveriser and fed to the Pelletizing unit. The impeller is a forward curve type and driven by a electric motor mounted on the same shaft.

7. Pelletizer- The wet mixer pelletizer is used to convert fluffy carbon black into pelleted form. It is a mill type of mixer, with an externally heated jacket to limit cake formation inside the pelletizer. The jacket of the pelletizer is heated with the help of steam. The jacket temperature is maintained at 100oC to 120oC. This tool is a set of spiral pins attached to a scraper bar,

allowing the pelletizer shaft to be supports as it is pushed through the shell. A mixture of water and molasses is added into the wet mixer along with the pulverized carbon black. The pins scrape off the carbon black and result in the uniform sized carbon black pellets at the other end.

Figure 5 Pins inside the pelletizer unit

8. Rotary Dryer- is a type of industrial dryer employed to reduce or minimize the liquid content of the material by indirect heating with flue gas generated from the Combustor. The dryer is made up of a large rotating cylinder which slopes slightly so that the discharge end is lower to convey the material under gravity. It is of an indirectly heated type. Hot flue gases from the combustion furnace flows through the dryer around the dryer cylinder thus heating the dryer cylinder externally. The hot flue gases will flow out through the exhaust opening on the furnace to a stack.

9. Conveyers-

Bucket conveyer is a type of mechanical equipment used to convey th e product from drier discharge to a cross conveyer from which it will be fed into the silos for cooling and storage. The dried carbon black pellets coming out of the rotary drier now need to be cooled and stored. Since the particles are smaller sized, bucket elevators are the most suitable. The cross conveyer is of a screw type.

10. Storage Silo is a vertical cylindrical vessel which acts as a place for storage as well as helps in cooling down the particles before packaging. The silos from the drier are elevated by bucket elevators and through screw type cross conveyers are discharged into the respective silo though logic controls. There are a total of 16 silos at the plant site. Based on customer demands the product can be packed into bags and dispatched.

CAPTIVE POWER PLANT

The captive power plant at the plant site has a total capacity to produce 33.MW of electicity out of which 9MW is required for working of the plant whereas the excess power is supplied to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board [TNEB]. For 3 operation lines there is one water tube boiler each. The CO gas which is a off gas tapped from the bag filter is further burnt in the combustor to generate high temperature CO2 which is a flue gas. This hot flue gas generated is made to pass over the water tubes in the boiler and steam is generated. The unit also houses a super heater to further increase the temperature of steam. An air preheater to achieve efficient combustion as well as an economizer to preheat the boiler feed water. These components increase the overall efficiency of the boiler.

The superheated steam now passes though the sheet metal pipes into the turbine unit. Turbine units are controlled by turbine governor which regulate the amount of inlet steam. Inlet steam has a pressure of 48 Kg/cm2 and temperature of 4150 C. The Turbine shaft is coupled to the Electric generators via a gearbox which facilitated the reduction in shaft speed while increasing the torque. There are a total of four turbines whose specifications are as listed below-

o 2.5 MW Turbine manufactured by Triveni Turbines, Bangalore.o 6 MW Turbine manufactured by Triveni Turbines, Bangalore.o 8 MW Turbine manufactured by Triveni Turbines, Bangalore.o 17.2 MW Turbine manufactured by Shin Nippon, Japan.

The feed water used is RO purified and demineralized before use in the boiler. Almost 95% of the water used in the process is recovered. The condenser unit consists of 3 Fan Cooled condensers and one water cooled condenser. The cooled water is pumped back into the circuit. After the heat has been extracted from the flue gases up to the maximum possible extent, they are let off to the atmosphere through the boiler stacks.

Off gas

MASTER BATCH UNIT

Master Batch is the most basic component of rubber used especially for the production of tires. Here, in this plant the rubber and other additives supplied by the customers are mixed with the carbon black produced onsite to obtain this compound. Rubber Compound Master Batches are a blend of rubber polymers and carbon black along with other rubber chemicals and additives.

These Master Batches can be made by blending any rubber polymer as a base like Natural Rubber/ Synthetic Rubber / Butyl / EPDM etc. or in combination of few of these. Petroleum derivative Carbon Black is used as a reinforcing filler to add to the basic strength to the Polymer. Other additives such as Stabilizers and additives are added along to get a proper blend of any rubber compounded master batches. The combination used in this unit consists of 60% rubber, 35% Carbon and 5% of Additives.

The above said ingredients are blended & mixed together in an advanced & power Integrator system that is electronically controlled in high powered mixers. The ingredients are added in stages with a time and temperature based mixing cycles, ensuring the consistency in weights and in the right mixing time cycles & temperatures. A temperature of 160 to 170 is maintained by the exothermic reaction between the ingredients. This ensures the consistency in the batch-to-batch operations resulting in a Homogenous dispersion of all and to make a quality mix for use in any desired next stage of production. Mixed rubber compounds are again blended in an open mill using overhead blenders to further improve the Homogeneity to the highest level, to achieve the best mixed master batch compounds. The roller mills also eliminate generation of air bubbles or cavity defects In the sheets. These mixed Master batch compounds are dipped in a compatible Anti tack liquid & cooled to ambient temperature by sheeting out in a continuous sheet form. The sheets are of a uniform thickness varying from 6mm to 8mm depending on customer requirements.

Figure 6 Master batch sheets

CONDITION BASED MAINTAINANCE TECHNIQUE

Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance strategy that uses the actual condition of the asset to decide what maintenance needs to be done. CBM dictates that maintenance should only be performed when certain indicators show signs of decreasing performance or upcoming failure. Checking a machine for these indicators may include non-invasive measurements, visual inspection, performance data and scheduled tests. Condition data can be gathered at certain intervals, or continuously CBM can be applied to mission critical and non-mission critical assets. CBM aims at extending the machine life, improving productivity and taking machine health to next level for the lifetime of equipment. This Technique followed by this plant increases the safety, enhances production and also reduces maintenance expenditure in the plant. Unlike in planned scheduled maintenance (PM), where maintenance is performed based upon predefined scheduled intervals, condition based maintenance is performed only when it is triggered by asset conditions. Compared with preventative maintenance, this increases the time between maintenance tasks, because maintenance is done on an as-needed basis.

Benefits of Condition Monitoring

o No surprise breakdownso Increased “up time”o Minimize maintenance resourceo Improves equipment reliabilityo Improves worker safety

The 3 Phases of Condition Based Maintenance

o Surveillance - monitoring the equipment condition to detect developing problemso Diagnosis - isolating the root cause of the issue and developing a corrective plan based on

priority, equipment condition and its remaining lifeo Remedy - performing the corrective action.

Types of Condition Based Maintenance

o Vibration analysis – rotating equipment such as compressors, pumps, motors all exhibit a

certain degree of vibration. As they degrade, or fall out of alignment, the amount of vibration

increases.

o Temperature gun. Noncontact type of temperature measuring device to check the temperature

of components such as motors, bearings etc.

o Infrared – IR cameras can be used to detect high temperature conditions in energized

equipment.

o Acoustic - Used to detect gas, liquid or vacuum leaks.

MANTAINANCE PRACTICES CONDUCTED DURING THE INTERNSHIP PERIOD

1. Maintenance of Process water pump-

Pump Specifications

o Model- WK 65-4

o Type- Multistage with 4 impellers

o Capacity- 45 m3/Hr

o Speed- 2950 RPM

o Head- 168m

Actions Performed-o Lubricating Ball bearing at non-driven end

o Lubricating NU Type bearing on the driven end

o Lubricating the Flange Type coupling

2. Maintenance of Booster fan The booster fan is a device with forward curved vane used to blow the Carbon Black

entering from the micro-pulveriser into the pelleting unit. It is connected to an electric

motor via a gear coupling and Plummer Block which houses the bearings.

Actions Performed-o Changing of SS 500 oil lubricating the plummer block.

o Checking for condition and clearance of Spherical roller bearings.

o Check for condition of Bolts

o Check for shaft alignment

o Lubrication of Gear coupling and check for broken debris

o Inspection of blower cavity and damage of impellers