What is BS EN 16774- Steel converter and associated equipment about?
BS EN 16774 is a safety standard on the safety requirements for steel converters and associated equipment.
BS EN 16774 applies for steel converter and its associated equipment (hereinafter referred to as converter plant) used in the process of carbon or stainless-steel making. BS EN 16774 deals with significant hazards, hazardous situations, and events relevant to the converter plant. BS EN 16774 covers the intended use and foreseeable misuse. BS EN 16774 specifies the safety requirements to be met during transport, assembly, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning/disassembly of the equipment.
BS EN 16774 applies to steel converter and its associated equipment for the oxygen steelmaking process:
- From hot metal/liquid steel and scrap charging
- Via oxygen refining and stirring
- Temperature measurement and sampling equipment
- Up to tapping including slag retaining device
- Cooling systems
- Maintenance devices (e.g., relining device, tap hole repair device)
- Process related interfaces/interactions (e.g., according to design, controls) to
- Media
- Primary and secondary gas cleaning plant
- Material feeding systems and ladle alloying systems
- Transfer cars for steel ladle and slag pot
- Charging/tapping equipment, e.g., crane, scrap chute, ladles, and slag pots
Note 1: BS EN 16774 does not cover safety requirements for:
- Usage of process media other than oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and compressed air
- Primary and secondary gas cleaning plants
- Measuring devices with radioactive sources
- Material feeding systems and ladle alloying systems
- Transfer cars for steel ladle and slag pot
- Charging/tapping and de-slagging equipment, e.g., crane, scrap chutes, ladles, and slag pots
- Auxiliary winches and hoists
Note 2: BS EN 16774 assumes that the input materials do not contain the following hazardous components:
- Radioactive scrap
- Explosives
- Entrapped water/ice
- Closed containers
- Oversized scrap which can lead to water leakage due to collision with lances
Note 3: For variations of converter process where other gases and media, e.g., hydrocarbons, fuels, steam, etc. are used, additional safety measures must be considered which are not covered in BS EN 16774.
Note 4: BS EN 16774 is not applicable to converter plants, manufactured before the date of publication of this standard in the Official Journal (OJ).
Note 5: In case of revamping, BS EN 16774 can be used as a guideline for the specific parts to be revamped.
Who is BS EN 16774- Steel converter and associated equipment for?
BS EN 16774 on the safety requirements for steel converter and associated equipment is relevant to:
- Machine manufacturers (small, medium, and large enterprises)
- Health and safety bodies (regulators, accident prevention organizations, market surveillance, etc.)
- Steel industries
- Manufacturers of associated equipment
Why should you use BS EN 16774- Steel converter and associated equipment?
A steel converter is a tiltable unit to produce carbon or stainless steel.
BS EN 16774 is a type C standard. The machines and equipment concerned and the extent to which hazards, hazardous situations, and events are covered are indicated in the scope of BS EN 16774.
BS EN 16774 is about:
- The converter plant that is operated and maintained by trained and competent personnel
- Manual intervention for setting, adjustment, and maintenance is accepted as part of the intended use of the plant
- The plant used with adequate workplace lighting
BS EN 16774 advices to do the charging to avoid/minimize the risk of explosion. When requirements of BS EN 16774 are different from those which are stated in type-A or type- B standards, the requirements of BS EN 16774 take precedence over the requirements of the other standards for machines that have been designed and built according to the requirements of BS EN 16774. BS EN 16774 assists with the associated equipment to produce carbon steel or stainless steel by means of a steel converter.
Overall, BS EN 16774 is useful as it aids on the conversion of hot metal to carbon steel or stainless steel by elimination of (mainly) carbon (and other unwanted elements like silicon, phosphor) using oxygen supply.