Mr. Atanu Bhowmick, Director In-Charge (DIC) inaugurated multiple facilities at Blast Furnace#1 (BF-1) and Blast Furnace#5 (BF-5) on 30^th December, 2024.

At BF-1, Mr. Bhowmick inaugurated a New Standby Screened Sinter Conveying Facility, developed in-house by the team BF. The project leverages three previously redundant sinter bunkers from Blast Furnace #2, repurposed for use in BF-1. The key additions in the circuit include an IC make sinter screen, integration of 3 conveyor belts into the system and provision of an extended SFC#1.0 conveyor to collect minus 6.3 mm sinter after screening. The new facility ensures uninterrupted sinter charging during cleaning operations and significantly increases sinter storage capacity for the stock house.

Mr. Bhowmick also inaugurated the BF-1 Isolation U-Seal No. 4, a vital enhancement to the gas circuit. The system facilitates the isolation of BF-1 without halting BF gas supply to the Hot Blast Stoves. Previously, BF-1 shutdowns posed operational challenges due to the reliance on encasing-type goggle valves. The new U-seal system ensures reliable and user-friendly operation, Continuous heating of stoves during BF-1 shutdowns and Quick stabilization of the furnace post-startup. Mr. Alok Verma, ED In-Charge (Works), Mr. Anil Kumar, ED (MM), Mr. Sudip Pal Chowdhury, ED (Projects), many Chief General Managers, Heads of Department and a large number of  employees of Blast Furnaces department were present on the occasion.

At BF-5, the DIC inaugurated the Modified and Relocated Hydraulic Drive Unit for the BC245 IPT conveyor. The previous location of the hydraulic power pack was prone to breakdowns due to environmental vulnerabilities. The upgraded system offers enhanced reliability and a dust-free operating environment, increased equipment availability and standby capability for the pipe conveyor drive system with minimal modifications. Mr. Tarun Misra, ED (HR), Mr. Alok Verma, ED In-Charge (Works), Mr. A K Behuria, ED (F&A), Mr. Biswaranjan Palai, ED (Operations), Mr. Anil Kumar, ED (MM), Mr. M P Singh, ED (Mines), Mr. Sudip Pal Chowdhury, ED (Projects) were present on the occasion.

The projects have been executed using in-house resources by the team BF under the guidance of Mr. A C Sarkar, CGM (Iron) and Mr. Sumit Kumar, CGM (Blast Furnaces).

The DIC was explained about the salient features of the new systems. Mr. Bhowmick lauded the innovative efforts of team BF and urged them to continue to excel in all their endeavours.