B Furnace Reline 1997 - Rouge Steel

This video was taken by me while working for Rouge Steel (the old Ford Steel Division) located at the Ford Complex in Dearborn, MI. I was a project engineer assigned to the rebuild team. The rebuild took about 3 months, if I remember. The video follows the process from the initial attempt to 'bottom tap' (drain out all the remaining liquid iron) the blast furnace, stripping out the old refractory and cooling piping, repairing the main shell, completely rebuilding the entire furnace, drying out the new refractory and finally loading it with burden (iron ore, scrap steel, limestone, and coke).

[@richardkawucha1232]

Last timeI worked on that furnace, they were making a pour when a gap opened between the iron notch and the hole. Spent a long cold winter night wedged into a hole, underneath the trough pad welding on the furnace shell. The guy welding the new plate, into the trough bottom, burnt through the old steel. A glob of red hot metal dropped down my collar. I carry a quarter size scar, in the center of my chest, from that. Made a lot of money there.

[@GrayHare]

Yikes!! I know how bad slag burns can be. Were you there before during or after this reline?

[@richardkawucha1232]

@@GrayHare That would have been an unscheduled "emergency call", way prior to the reline. If you're a Boilermaker, working out of the union hall, it means - I get the call at 10:00pm, show up at 11:00pm, and we sign the tax paperwork and are out the trailer door by 11:30pm. The next hour is dragging leads, torch hoses and setting everything up. I think we spent about 16 hrs. working. These furnaces were producing about 420 tons of pig iron every 45 minutes. So at a minimum that meant 16+ times 420 tons was lost. A reline is a scheduled shut-down where all heat is shut off the furnace and gas supply lines are blanked off. As the furnace cools the internal firebrick liner starts to loosen from the shell. All of it then is knocked out. A total relief means the 10's of feet thick carbon block bottom is also removed. If dictated the copper coolers that are inserted In the shell and help to control the heat in the firebrick are usually removed and replaced. This doesn't include all the miscellaneous piping, electrical, mechanical... work that must be done. A full reline will take a couple mos. Once completed the heat is slowly applied to the furnace so the brick work doesn't collapse.

[@nlo114]

Thousands of ships, cars, bikes, fridges and washing machines, cranes, trains, trucks, building steel, etc., etc. all flowed through that one small hole at the bottom. Thankyou for showing this video!

[@plus5514]

Every newborn people came from small hole to. 😂

[@amessman]

@@plus5514 art imitates nature.

[@matejkumer615]

🤣🤣🤣@@plus5514

[@fullysickbrah2949]

@@plus5514 No, You were different.. Came from a big hole.

[@stevetakacs654]

I've lived in the shadows of the Rouge for 43 years. Watched dozens of videos about the complex. This one is by far the best. What an awesome look inside the belly of the beast. I really like how you explained the different parts of the furnace and what they do. Those purple flames were a beautiful sight at night Great job filming.... 👍

[@GrayHare]

Thanks, Steve! I bet it was cool living close by. Seems like there was always something going there. I always loved the flares, too!

[@richardkawucha1232]

On one Rouge Steel repair, we worked 12 straight hours. Finally got the furnace back on line. As we were leaving the site I was walking, with the furnace "gas man". They had opened the stove Gas valves too much. They'd opened the two relief valves, at the angel deck. The roar was like Niagra Falls. The flames shot 50 feet into the air. It looked like the space shuttle booster rockets trying to drive the furnace into the ground.

[@andedavi]

Awesome job! Thanks for sharing! All our lives are dependent upon steelmaking, but few of us actually get to see what it takes to make it. Hats off to the Steelworkers!

[@scotthomberg141]

Its absolutely amazing what man can build and rebuild too. Awesome piece of history right there. Just as amazing, it takes age to really appreciate processes like this. The tradesmen that worked this project did an amazing job! What a fantastic vid capture

[@GrayHare]

You’re right! Detroit trades are very skilled and equipment/processes like this couldn’t be done without them.

[@RobertCraft-re5sf]

​@@GrayHarealso like how this is a giant version of what ancient ancient Europeans used to make. Just instead of a person with a tool it would be an iron smelter with a stick poking a hole for the iron to flow out.

[@GrayHare]

@@RobertCraft-re5sf I’d love to see an old metallurgical furnace in operation!

[@johnking9942]

Great video... I did work on that reline and also the C furnace replacement. I was also part of the inspection team for the B furnace blast. Always liked steel work. There is nothing else like it.

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for commenting, John! I was involved in three blast furnace relines at the Rouge. The other ones were after the explosion at the old power house. I bet our paths crossed a couple of times over the years.

[@carlmorgan8452]

Yes nothing like it. Enjoyed working on ark furnace .

[@dusanstevic89]

This entire process is amazing. Thank you for making such a great video and sharing it!

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I made this just for people like you!

[@megasaddu1]

My father worked in Blast Furnaces in Bhilai Steel Plant in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India. He was instrumental in overseeing the first furnace in India with BLT (Bell Less Top) charging system, and first furnaces in India having PLC automation. Personally, I have only seen furnace tops (BF7 and BF8 in Bhilai Steel Plant) having BLT charging systems. Thank you for sharing this video! really enjoyed watching it

[@GrayHare]

Thank you for watching and commenting! I lived through the modernization of the industry in the US in the 1980s. We started out with analog controllers that used air pressure signals from 3psi to 12psi, similar to today’s 4-20 milliamp signals. I remember buying, installing, and programming our first PLCs. Thanks again for watching/commenting!

[@DevDrifter]

Thank you for the video. My grandfather worked the steel mills in Youngstown, Ohio and I really enjoy watching videos like these.

[@GrayHare]

Thank you! Guess what? I’m a grandfather, too. Seems like the steel industry is changing dramatically. Back in the day, it was strong and employed many people. Now, only a few active Blast Furnaces remain. Thanks for appreciating us old guy’s memories.

[@b3j8]

Was gonna ask when the shell was actually built, and then you answered it. 1917! So damn much history here! Thank you for faithfully documenting this!

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I really was lucky 🍀 to have spent 13 years working there.

[@frphxkaboom3008]

worked out of the snake pit from 86 to 89 . then a year in waste water with a lot of overtime on the furnaces. then I went to J9. worked a b furnace reline in 87. ended up being in the power house when it blew up. i still dream about that place .@@GrayHare

[@GrayHare]

We probably crossed paths several times during our time there. I visited J9 lots of times to talk about schedules and projects. I spent most of my time in the old HSM and Cold Mills. I was working the day of the explosion, too, but I was over in the Rouge Office Building that day. I stayed the first night too helping to shutdown the rest of the plant.@@frphxkaboom3008

[@ModelingSteelinHO]

Thank you for taking the time to film this fascinating view that people never get to see,much less hear about. Helps with modeling too.

[@GrayHare]

You're welcome!

[@GKBigmack]

Good Deal. Been a few years since I was at the Rouge (Was Severstal and then AK at the time... Now Cliffs), But B was demo'd down to the hearth. The casthouse was still in place, but the vessel was long gone. Some of the runners were still intact on the floor. I've worked all over the Steel mill side of the plant... from the ore bridges to annealing as a maintenance contractor. I work over at Great Lakes in Cold Rolling now... Economy got our furnaces a couple years ago. Only thing left on Zug is the coke battery.

[@GrayHare]

I was there from around 1993 to 2004. My main responsibility was the Cold and Hot Strip Mills, but was assigned to most of the BF relines during that time. My son is a pipe fitter contractor on Zug Island doing steam maintenance. Thanks for viewing the video and reaching out with a comment!

[@battledragongun]

if b gone dose that mean a back up runing or did they shut both c and a and go full arc furnace after dad retired

[@jacobsandler438]

So many times have seen reline of blast furnaces from the city side. (3) 8-hour shifts of contractors work 24/7. At dark part of the day lots of lighting is used to illuminate work areas. Every 25-30 years of life span each blast furnace at our steel mill underwent reline. Contractors used explosives intensively to get rid of salamander. Everyone in the city heard explosions, especially at night. The blue flame of burning BF gas candle is truly amazing at night. Really cool to visit the superstructure areas and see it up close how operates the furnace charging mechanisms: rotary bulk distributor, bells drive. See it up close 2 top valves.

[@GrayHare]

That about sums up what the video depicts! I’m glad you benefited from watching. I feel pretty lucky to have been able to see it from my side.

[@jacobsandler438]

@@GrayHare I've never seen equipment at the superstructure areas from the close range. Have seen that in textbooks just as drawings when studied metallurgy in junior college. Have worked myself at hot strip mill divisions on primary and secondary rolling mills. Born and raised in steelmaking city.

[@GrayHare]

I actually started my career in steel as a combustion engineer working in the soaking pits for ingots and also the reheat furnaces for slabs. That was a long time ago! I did project work for HSM, Pickle Lines, Annealing, Tandem Cold Mill, Temper Mill… It’s sad to see that industry just rust away.

[@25vrd48]

Such an awesome project . The thought of working around hot molten steel scares me to death . I guess if you start working around it it isn't that nerve racking , but you've always gotta keep your eyes open and listen incase anything goes wrong . Awesome video . Thanks for posting .

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching! The process of making steel is very dangerous. These people have been working around steel so long that you can become oblivious to some of the dangers. Many safety rules are in place, but you have to know them, then follow them.

[@boostcreep4749]

Amazing this is the last mill in Michigan operating..... Mclouth gone. Great Lakes gone. My father was in the railroad at the plant, he was probably at the plant when you shot the video. Thanks, this was a good watch!

[@GrayHare]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@gregorythompson2251]

worked in a steel mill its been gone 22 years. I miss it

[@GrayHare]

I hear you and feel the same way.

[@nuclearbum9858]

best and most detailed one ive seen ..always wanted to see the bells work

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for commenting! The bells are an ingenious way of adding material to a closed vessel that's under about 30 psi of pressure.

[@in4merATP]

This was deeply satisfying. Thank you.

[@GrayHare]

It was satisfying making/publishing the movie. Thanks for watching! 😊

[@speeder36]

I worked at the Lackawanna plant for Bethlehem Steel, as a millwright/welder I worked on many Furnace relines.

[@GrayHare]

I never had the opportunity to visit that facility, but I know there was a lot of history there, too.

[@gilzor9376]

Wow, the history made on those grounds. . . . . . I envy your experience on 'the Rouge'. To imagine the volume of steel that came from that very spot. . . . . and knowing Henry walked those grounds. Funny, I feel so fortunate just to have viewed that footage, and I'll probably watch it again. . . . . yeah old Boomer Mech. Eng's are strange like that . . . . thank you!

[@GrayHare]

You’re the reason I posted this movie! I wanted people to be aware and to remember our history. Thanks for your great comments!

[@ypaulbrown]

@@GrayHare thank you for posting this.....

[@frphxkaboom3008]

worked as a M/W out of the snake pit from 86 to 90 then a year in wastewater. the skips were still operational. First it was A and C furnace then after a reline B and C. Hard dirty dangerous work hated it at first but grew to like it. The gas would come down with the skip once measured the stretch on the skip cables and the meter read 800 ppm...that's high. was in the power house when # 6 boiler blew. that was a day to remember , 6 guys died. there is no building in the rouge that I didn't work. I did get around.

[@GrayHare]

I bet we crossed paths at some point after 1993, which is when I was there. I worked mostly in the HSM and CM. I’m sorry you experienced the destruction of the Boiler House. I hope you’ve recovered from that. I was at the ROB and stayed the whole night trying to get everything shut down safely.

[@lisk3822]

Who knew the refractory had to be replaced? This is absolutely amazing and thanks for uploading the video.

[@GrayHare]

When you lose parts of the refractory/insulation, the steel shell will get hot in that area. Sometimes, we’d have to spray water on the shell to keep it from getting too hot. But that’s a short-term fix. At least it gives you time to plan for a repair or reline.

[@ww_9527]

现在的高炉内的碳砖会安装一些热电偶。通过温度判定耐火材料的厚度。同时冷却壁循环水的温度也是一个参考指标

[@GrayHare]

@@ww_9527 thank you for your informative comments! Here’s an English translation of the above comment…. “Nowadays, some thermocouples will be installed in the carbon bricks in the blast furnace. The thickness of the refractory is determined by temperature. At the same time, the temperature of cooling wall circulating water is also a reference index.”

[@kelvintorrence5994]

i used to haiul it too the mills, uss, etc

[@juliajones1425]

Very cool video! I’m so proud to call you my bubba. 💜

[@ewanrollo5527]

Great video. You dont get to see most of that very often. Im glad you took the chance to amke this.

[@GrayHare]

Thanks, Ewan!

[@njunderground82]

Very cool! I've always been fascinated by the steel industry but I've never seen a relining done before. I saw the Rouge Works up-close a couple years ago when I was driving up to the UP. I stopped by to get some shots (mostly nighttime). Over the years I had the chance to tour a BOF and EAF but never a BF. (At least not one that wasn't abandoned).

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching and commenting on the video, Mike! I bet your night shots of the plant were awesome.

[@dougmapper3306]

I'm a Michigander myself, mechanical engineer, went to school not too far from this very plant. As part of my work in the automotive industry, I've actually been in the buildings just to the North of the blast furnace, where they do environmental testing on the F-series truck bodies. This is fascinating stuff! My colleagues and I would give a left arm for a tour of the cast house in operation. I was 8 years old when this was filmed. Thank you for posting your video!

[@GrayHare]

You’re welcome, Doug!

[@Ch1n4Sailor]

I'm just blown away that someone in Michigan with an ME degree even has a job!!?? Must have a legacy connection to get a job in the automotive industry...??? (or not doing ME work??) I had a cousin an ME (UM educated) was laid off early 90's (ALL the educated / engineers were OUTSOURCED to India / China) He Never found another job... I'm sure he could have if he moved out of the Welfare State MI, but that's a calorie burner for someone in Wayne County who's use to getting that FREE BIDEN money!!! Why work, when MI or BIDEN will pay you to sit home, smoke dope, drink, and Blame ALL your problems on Orange Man & Tucker!!!! ( BTW: I left MI in 1985 - joined the Military at 17 and NEVER even thought of going back!!)

[@FortMetallica]

@@Ch1n4Sailorfunny is that us working class are the reason they get paid in the first place, it aint biden! Sad as hell what michigan became now from what it was. Guess they’re okay taking from the few businesses that are left and stuffing their pockets with that chump change, than giving back to the state that had the most loyal workforce in the country decades ago.

[@wgmskiing]

Great video! thank you for sharing this and answering all these questions in comments!

[@GrayHare]

You’re welcome, Garrett! It really is an honor to share with everyone.

[@northstar1950]

Really interesting, thanks for uploading it.

[@MonkeyPoida]

Thank you for posting. Enjoyed seeing all of that, the differences between furnaces are fascinating. I'm a blast furnace engineer too. I mainly work on stoves, hot blast main, cast house runners, tuyere stock.

[@GrayHare]

Glad to connect with you! These old furnaces are so amazing. Unfortunately, they're pretty much dinosaurs. B Blast Furnace was erected while Henry Ford still walked the grounds of The Rouge. I loved seeing all the rivets that held the shell together. Thanks again for watching and commenting!

[@michaelennen3432]

Thank you very much for posting this! Very interesting.

[@GrayHare]

You’re welcome and thanks for watching!

[@whistle3man]

Thank you for taking the time to post this video it is by far the most comprehensive and fantastically well documented iron furnace function I have ever seen. I can't even begin to tell you what part I enjoyed more than the other it was so well done I'm at a loss for words. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will watch it again. I didn't want it to end. Thanks again. Well done.

[@chrisbystrak7967]

No,no,no.this isn't an awesome video about the functions of an iron furnace. it's a sad video of the last final days of an era where the strong tough men who made steel here were made to come to work to disassemble the very machines they ran. Knowing the whole time that once the last piece was removed they no longer had a job.

[@whistle3man]

@@chrisbystrak7967 in the video they were rebuilding that furnace and it ran again for many years until eventually it was torn down. I agree with you those were tough men and it's pretty much a bygone era. I'm near Pittsburgh and remember very well the blast furnaces and steel mills that made all the towns around Pittsburgh strong and it is sad to see the mills go and the communities fall apart afterward. my Dad and brothers were affected by all those shutdowns.

[@slabbadanks5829]

Thanks for posting this, really valuable history. I hope someone can AI upscale this footage, it would be really cool to see in high definition

[@GrayHare]

That would be cool! I can tell you that it was awesome being there and seeing it in person.

[@erwinrommel2055]

Nice footage. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@GrayHare]

Thank you for watching!

[@beautifulenergywithbeccy5425]

Fascinating, thank you 👍👍👍

[@IHVA-ir9gp]

Takes me back. I worked as a boilermaker foreman right out of college at USS Edgar Thomson Worked blast furnace, BOP and slab mill at ET and worked coke batteries 21" mill at Clairton. Short stint # 2 side structural at Homestead. Really enjoyed the work. thanks for the video

[@GrayHare]

My son is a Pipefitter on Zug Island in Detroit. I started working in steel at Armco in Ashland, KY in ‘87, then moved to Detroit and worked at the Rouge.

[@NateWeese96]

@@GrayHare you’d be disappointed to see Armco in Ashland now. Already demo’d half the site

[@GrayHare]

@@NateWeese96 Yes, I still have friends in Ashland and return there periodically. I saw it the last time (couple years ago) and it was sad seeing it. In its day, it was a great place to work and raise a family.

[@LukaSrnic]

Huge thanks for this video, not too much North American content related to this on KZbin.

[@GrayHare]

Thanks, Luca! Unfortunately, it seems that most heavy manufacturing like this has moved overseas.

[@LukaSrnic]

I'm thankful for the few remaining steel producers here in Hamilton, Ontario. Moving heavy industry and the production of goods overseas not only hurts the local economies and product quality, but its bad for the environment too. @@GrayHare

[@GrayHare]

Is that still Dofasco up there? They were such a great company and leader in the steel industry. I visited their facility many times.

[@Nicklan1961]

@@GrayHare mittel bought it

[@christophelecorre7902]

Great great video many thanks

[@daddyfatsakz98]

Absolutely Krazy footage, that heat it's gotta

[@GrayHare]

The heat was definitely HOT. You could get a sunburn-type of burn on any exposed skin in less than a minute, depending on how close you are to the liquid iron.

[@curlyrooster118]

Lost my good friend at this mill... RIP Randy.

[@GrayHare]

So sorry to hear this. While I was working there, seems like we had at least a couple deaths every year, usually contractors. 😢

[@mikemacmillan778]

A blast furnace, as explained to me , is an upside down volcano.. these men have tamed a volcano, and made it safe and ready, to be re built.

[@GrayHare]

That’s an analogy I haven’t heard before, but it sorta makes sense. Additionally, I’ve heard it’s one of the most complex chemical reactions used in manufacturing.

[@inarinukka7729]

Very interesting video. I haven't seen another one as informatic. At the same time, I miss the modern one because it would be much better to understand - cameras today are better than they were 25 years ago. But there are probably only a few such places in the world today where all the action could be transmitted as video footage. In the early years of the turn of the century, my teacher of metallurgy and materials science talked about his experience visiting one of the metal industrial complexes of the Soviet Union at that time. It seemed like a very interesting experience, however, as a teenager at that time, I didn't get a full overview of all the technology, I did understand from the description of the equipment in this industry that everything was big and powerful, but over time, and seeing real pictures, everything seems much more powerful now. This video gives me many new questions that I didn't even know how to ask my teacher as a schoolboy: 1. How thick is the lower part of the steel casing of the blast furnace? About the height where the molten iron tap hole is located. Also - how thick is the brick interior lining of the BF at this height? 2. How thick is the brick layer at the bottom of the BF? And does it have any external cooling as well? What material are bricks at the bottom made of? 3. How high above the inner surface of the bottom of the furnace is the tap hole? When the molten iron is poured then how much of it roughly leaves from furnace with one discharge? How fast does it come out of the BF? Any rough number - per ton/minute? As I understand it, the tap hole is not exactly at the bottom level, but higher, so there is always a significant amount of molten iron at the bottom of the furnace? 4. How high is the air temperature a few meters from the ducts with molten metal..how it feels to stand, say, for example 10 feet away, how hot this feels and can it could be compared to something more conventional? 5. How is the solidified iron that accumulates in the duct over time, removed, or are they constructed so that nothing accumulates significantly? A bunch of stupid questions, but unfortunately, I have not seen a single iron smelting plant with my own eyes, not even from a distance.

[@GrayHare]

Let me answer your questions as best I can. 1) The steel shell is 1"-2" thick. We didn't use external cooling, but we did use lots of internal cooling for the refractory. If I had to guess, I'd say the refractory was 3'-4' thick in this area. Remember that a furnace is a pressure vessel so there's a tremendous amount of energy inside, and not just thermal energy. 2) The hearth area refractory was several feet thick and used a lot of cooling because of the high temps in the hearth area (close to 3000F). We also used vertical cooling staves in this area to remove the heat and protect the hearth refractory. 3) I believe the taphole was about 1/4 of the hearth diameter, so about 5'-6' off the bottom. Try googling for blast furnace cutaways that will show the hearth, the tap hole, and the refractory used in each area of the furnace. We used carbon block and cooling pipes in the hearth area, then around the tap hole and higher was probably alumin/silica refractory to deal with the high temps. Higher up the furnace stack we would have used abrasion resistant refractory because of the lower temps and contact with the burden (iron pellets, limestone and coke). Since most furnaces are similar in design (they only vary by hearth diameter) you would refer to a furnace in million tons per year or by hearth diameter.I showed how big the 'salamander' was at the bottom of the furnace when they used dynamite (TNT) to break it up into smaller pieces and remove it from the hearth area so it could be relined. I think 5''-6' thick would be a safe answer. It's hard to imagine, but the hot air blown into the bottom of the furnace actually supports the burden. That means that the burden is separated from the liquid iron collected in the hearth. It was described to me as 'raining' liquid iron from the bottom of the heated burden. If the blast (hot air) was interrupted, the burden would drop into the collected liquid iron and chill/cool the liquid iron which could become solid again -- bad news! 4) The temperature on the casthouse floor (just above the hearth and taphole) would be about 100-110F. It gets much hotter when the furnace is tapped and molten iron and slag come out due to the radiative heat probably more like 150F near the liquid iron. You would need to wear protective/insulated suits to be any where near the molten metal, for safety's sake. The liquid iron in the trough or duct as you referred to it is gravity fed and it didn't build up over time because it would re-melt every tap. 5) The iron and slag troughs would be repaired as needed with a sprayable refractory between taps. They usually had a back-up trough so the one could be repaired if damaged. They tapped the furnace every 30-60 minutes. Liquid iron went out one trough and liquid slag wen the opposite direction. I hope this answers your questions!

[@geoffisaac3511]

I remember working on relining the blast furnaces at Port Talbot steel works over the years very dirty work but I suppose I enjoyed it I wish I was doing it now instead of being retired

[@GrayHare]

I really enjoyed my career in the steel industry, too! Keep those memories alive. I can’t say I agree with you on the retirement, though. I love being retired and exploring North America.

[@smhe61]

thanks buddy :)

[@fxsrider]

Fascinating!!

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching!

[@fxsrider]

@@GrayHare I'm watching it again.

[@GrayHare]

@@fxsrider let me know if you have questions.

[@fairstnaimelastenaime1346]

fantastic historical document! Michigan, a serious machine building state like the country taiwan... I bought a car this year and it died less than a year ago due to my neglecting maintenance, wanted to see how far it could got, has about 150K.

[@GrayHare]

Thanks!

[@josephastier7421]

3:15 That is a brave mofo right there. The hot metal can appear without warning.

[@GrayHare]

Yep, it’s very dangerous. Kinda like fire fighters running into a burning building. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😊

[@lewiemcneely9143]

10/4 on the POW/MIA flag flying! Thanks!

[@michaeltrousdale2510]

Wow great video. I was on night shift. Boilermakers #169

[@GrayHare]

I was hoping that someone from that reline would speak up! I was on the night shift also. I bet we crossed paths several times. My son is a PF over on Zug Island.

[@jacobsandler438]

That's painful truth in nowadays!

[@Kevin-is-here]

Cool old footage, sad to see a lot of American infrastructure gone away & not rebuilt 😢

[@GrayHare]

Me, too.

[@clineshaunt]

I've always wondered what one of those looked like on the inside.

[@GrayHare]

Now you know! I always wanted a tinted window into the furnace that you could see what's going on in the inside.

[@clineshaunt]

@@GrayHare That would have been awesome! Probably would look like a volcano. Thanks again for posting the video!

[@jjseibert]

How long did it take to heat the refractory lining? How many charges were used and time to actually start the furnace? I asked at interlake steel when they were bringing their large furnace back on line and they wouldn't talk to me

[@GrayHare]

Hmmm, there’s a lot of variables in that question. Back in ‘97, the dry out of the refractory would’ve been a couple days. You can’t rush it or you’ll get popcorn-like explosions in the new refractory. Then, they can start adding 100% coke until the system gets heated up. Then, they slowly add the normal burden (coke, limestone, iron ore and sometimes scrap metal in the furnace. Any iron you make during this phase will likely be of poor quality. Eventually, you’ll start getting high quality iron that they can further refine into steel at the BOP or ladle met station. I’d guess the whole process takes about 4 days from dry out to producing good iron. Counting the charges would be difficult to do. Hope this helps!

[@jjseibert]

@@GrayHare Thank you, I've hauled steel out of Interlake steel, US steel, and Bethlehem steel. Later worked as a high voltage contractor at US steel zug Island

[@ragnor56]

Amazing vid is this plant still working?

[@GrayHare]

I understand that it is. It is now owned by Cleveland Cliffs steel company.

[@M47H383R7]

Is this the furnace that exploded around 2008-ish under Severstal management? Would you know what could have caused it?

[@GrayHare]

I believe it is. Water getting in the furnace can cause explosions. The water turns to steam, just like a popcorn kernel. There’s several sources of water on a furnace, mostly it’s used to keep the refractory cool. I left Severstal around 2004.

[@johnking9942]

There were a couple of scenarios that were put forward. One was the furnace suffered a major slip. Another had to do with water dissociation in the bosh creating hydrogen and oxygen. There are also stories of steam leaks in the lower stack. I remember B furnace being run very hard during the C furnace rebuild. I understand that the explosion happened during a shift change other wise a lot of people may have been killed.

[@bobl78]

how long does it take to cool down so you can go inside and do the work ? How is the initial light up of a cold furnace beeing done? Also don´t get it how a 80 year old furnace can still be operated econicically...technology goes on

[@GrayHare]

Hi, there and thanks for commenting! It can take a couple days to get rid of all that heat. You can pump air and water in there to help cool it down. Re-lighting the furnace has to be done carefully so you don't damage the new refractory. The main thing is to dry out the bricks of any moisture. This must be done slowly or the moisture in the bricks can explode like popcorn. We used natural gas to slowly dry everything out before adding any of the three ingredients in the furnace (coke, iron ore and limestone). Also, fortunately, the process of making iron hasn't really changed that much in the last hundred years or so. Sure, the process is controlled by computers now, but it's still...put raw materials in the top and blow hot air in the bottom.

[@edmundsveikutis1698]

OK got it .

[@jaymat9692]

I remember when the "if i remember correctly " 3 blew up was in lie a earthquake in southwest Detroit

[@Spaman42]

Is this mill still running? I’m near the Buffalo, NY Bethlehem site that’s long been closed but grew up here while it was running.

[@GrayHare]

Someone else asked that and we figured out that it is still operating, but I don’t know at what capacity.

[@Darbre56]

Is this plant still active? Looking at Google Maps, the site looks deserted. Cliff's Steel is what the site is labeled as.

[@GrayHare]

Yes, it started as Ford Steel Division, then Ford sold it and it became Rouge Steel for a long time. While was there, it went bankrupt and was purchased by a Russian oligarch and called Severstahl. Then AK Steel purchased it and finally Cliff’s Steel. It is functioning but I don’t know at what capacity.

[@Darbre56]

@@GrayHare Thank you

[@frt7283]

No way would you catch me doing that

[@kristoffbrunet5749]

Now thats a shutdown 😎

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching! 8^)

[@chriswarner126]

Would it be simpler and cost worthy to just replace the whole furnace?

[@GrayHare]

You’re right, modern trends are to replace the entire furnace. The movie was taken 25 yrs ago.

[@mikes7639]

No no way they are made to be relined as the refractory material protects the metal

[@GroovyVideo2]

looks like a dangerous job

[@GrayHare]

Just about.any kind of manufacturing is a little dangerous. This industry is especially dangerous.

[@realfunny7]

as a pipe fitter apprentice then pipe fitter at Loran Works we had to go on relines & rebuilds -then when some goof balls took over the BF - nothing but trouble & "Freeze ups" - we were forced to go there because the BF fitters could not handle it & we were forced to stay OT while they went home - #1 Pipe Shop always got screwed

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for watching and commenting. My son is a Pipefitter who went thru the 5 year apprenticeship in Dearborn. He works over on Zug Island.

[@realfunny7]

@@GrayHare i worked there 1/8/68 - 1/8/98 - what where is Zug Island

[@GrayHare]

Zug Island is where the US Steel plant was located. It’s very near to the Rouge Complex. I believe all they’re running now is the Coke Plant.

[@realfunny7]

@@GrayHare Coke plant runs now - wow

[@wdobni]

all i see there is about 5000 different ways to get killed before lunch time

[@GrayHare]

That’s probably a true statement.

[@abundantharmony]

You can destroy and stack 1,000,000 + bricks in "about 3 months"? That's unfathomable. There must be a machine to stack them.

[@GrayHare]

It’s crazy, isn’t it? Thanks for watching!

[@abundantharmony]

@@GrayHare I love it. Was there a machine to stack them? I did notice a device to help in the removal of them. I can't imagine the heat of this place. Everything is just one big thermal battery.

[@GrayHare]

You saw the temporary platform that was raised as the union brick layers played the million refractory bricks. No machines to help. It has to be done by hand because the steel shell can be warped and skewed with heat and age. The bricks aren’t perfect rectangles either. Their sides are tapered so that the diameter is about 20’. Also, it does take a while to cool down and heat back up due to the mass of the furnace.

[@abundantharmony]

@@GrayHare Fantastic work.

[@battledragongun]

well i can tell this was befor the old power plant boom i rember my dad worked there for 30 year be for he retired only got to injoy retierment for about 3 years be for he passed away and one year after i finshed high school

[@GrayHare]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. I’ve seen many good men put their whole life into the industry only to never enjoy NOT working. I didn’t know your dad but I do know what each of his work days was like. He was special if he made it 30 years!

[@wvcaver774]

how do you restart a blast furnace ?

[@GrayHare]

That’s a great question! It takes a lot of planning to restart one. First the refractory is all new and that and the mortar needs to be dried out. You start with lighting some natural gas torches. That’s a nice slow warm up and gets a good draft going (like a fireplace chimney). After a couple days of that you start putting what’s called coke (it’s pure carbon made from coal) in it and start using the big air injectors, called tuyeres. You fill it full of coke for a couple of days while monitoring refractory temps and moisture content. When everything is up to operating temp (about 2,000°-2,500°F) then you can start adding iron ore and limestone to the coke.

[@deepbhaisare]

@@GrayHare so instead of wooden planks natural gas was used? In books it was mentioned to use big wooden planks to heat and then the use coke.

[@GrayHare]

@@deepbhaisare they probably were just getting rid of debris from the job by burning wood planks. The natural gas is much easier to control than a wood fire. The dry out and preheating of the refractory is pretty critical to a long life. If you heat it too fast, trapped water turns to steam and it’ll act like popcorn and do a lot a damage on a new lining.

[@deepbhaisare]

@@GrayHare make sense.

[@TheJimbob1603]

Throw a lit match in.

[@dalehilker6146]

Is this plant still operating?

[@GrayHare]

As far as I know it is. While I was there it changed from Ford Steel to Severstal (Russian). It has since changed to AK Steel. During my time, we had three blast furnaces A, B and C. A and B were pretty small and were built by Henry Ford around 1918. C was added during World War II. A was abandoned when I hired in around 1993. B blew up around 2008. C was completely demolished and replaced with a brand new furnace shortly after that. I don't know what they call the new furnace now (maybe D?), but I do believe they are still producing steel, but I don't that for certain. I imagine the new furnace is doesn't use raw materials like iron ore, coke and limestone. I would imagine that any new furnace built today would use scrap steel, but again, I'm out of the industry now.

[@rovhalgrencparselstedt8343]

How often does the furnace need to be relined ?

[@GrayHare]

I think it can vary a lot but 7-10 years we’re typical. Many factors can influence the life, like the cooling circuits, protective armor plates inside, etc. Sometimes, ‘scabs’ can form on the inside of the refractory and become so large that they pull the refractory off the steel shell when they fall.

[@ww_9527]

@@GrayHare 按照现在的工艺水平可以使用都15年。

[@GrayHare]

@@ww_9527 Thank you for saying that the life can be up to 15 years.

[@carlmorgan8452]

Hot spots can happen on shell

[@kwagon87]

And of course it is no longer there. A furnace was shut down in early 80s but still standing as a shell. Only C remains. Sad no one could make a go of Ford's former steel division

[@GrayHare]

I agree. Every American steel company I worked for was either sold or went bankrupt. Armco and Rouge Steel companies are just memories now.

[@steve4iu453]

I hated doing these furnace jobs when I was in construction. But the money was pretty good.

[@GrayHare]

Yep, I made a good living too.

[@chriswarner126]

Was this furnace damaged in 2004?

[@GrayHare]

I do remember a smaller explosion around that time, but it was repaired and returned to service.

[@StephanieLynn1010]

Well I'm part of the Kresge Family...Edwards...Ski May I know WTF your talking about???? It's Stephanie Lynn 10/10

[@skidrowplo]

Great Video! In many ways it reminds me of the 'mental picture' that Ayn Rand had painted of Hank Rearden's Steelworks in her epic book 'Atlas Shrugged'. It was awesome to see mighty Detroit in its Twilight Years. Just before Atals 'did' actually shrugg' in the US of A. Hopefully videos like these serve to remind English Majors, Climate Change Experts as well as Intel and Google Desk Jockeys that if you want an economy and you want stuff - you have to work hard to actually produce it - Starting with the basic raw materials. It's either that, or you make your enemies wealthy by off-shoring your technology and production. Hmmm - sounds like there might be a lesson in this for future generations.......hopefully, unlike us, they'll actually f&ck3n' listen.

[@GrayHare]

Thanks for your comments and insight, Aleksander! They’re very appropriate for our current times. I’ve always been a proponent of a strong manufacturing base, which supports a large middle class. It pains me to see small and large communities with shuttered factories in them. I read the other day that the reason we have so few blast furnaces anymore is that we’ve made so much steel in the past and we have a strong recycling program that producers can melt mostly scrap for their needs.

[@brentschmitt3338]

Great video! This country is rapidly losing the ability to sustain a steel industry.

[@GrayHare]

Heavy manufacturing like the steel industry needs to return to the shores of the US. We don’t need to dominate, just participate in an industry.

[@joeylawn36111]

8:15 Those bricks look as if they were partially melted from spending all that time under constant high heat.

[@GrayHare]

Those are actually weal plates that are installed to protect the relatively fragile insulation bricks. The operating temperatures at the top of the stack are pretty low, a few hundred degrees. However, when the iron ore, limestone and coke are added to the ‘burden’ by dumping the large bell, the impact can damage the refractory. So, they installed metal wear plates on top of the refractory. Some of the wear plates are severely worn as you noted. The wear is caused by tons and tons of material hitting the wear plates, not from the high heat - which is much lower in the stack.

[@joeylawn36111]

@@GrayHare thanks

[@mattstarr8203]

is that mill still operating

[@GrayHare]

Yes, it was purchased by Cleveland Cliffs a few years ago (2019?) and is still operating providing flat rolled steel.

[@Ch1n4Sailor]

So am I watching people go into a HOT furnace???

[@GrayHare]

Well, hot is a relative term. When you see cherry red, that’s about 1,500°F. No one’s going there! But it can get as warm as 150F as we’re tearing out the refractory.

[@deepbhaisare]

Seems wall jam could not be removed.

[@GrayHare]

I don’t remember exactly what a wall jam is, but we pretty much stripped everything down the shell from bottom to the top. If they inspected it and thought it was in good shape, then they must’ve chosen to leave it.

[@deepbhaisare]

@@GrayHare it must have been left deliberately as the whole brick lining was taken off. I found that later in the video. But very insightful video. Thanks.

[@ww_9527]

这座高炉的容积是多少m³

[@GrayHare]

Here’s an English translation of the above comment/question…. “What is the volume of this blast furnace?” I don’t remember the size of the furnace, but it was pretty small. LOL, it’s been like 25 years.

[@carlmorgan8452]

Breathing some of those fumes is not good !

[@GrayHare]

You’re not kidding! We were required to wear dust filters where we were demoing any refractory. If there was any chemical fumes we used chemical respirators. The bad part was that the heat sometimes made the filters/respirators uncomfortable to wear.

[@Nicklan1961]

Do the Russians still own this As they bought the steel plant the steel company formerly Ford motor company's steel plant if I remember correctly

[@GrayHare]

No, Cleveland Cliffs purchased it from AK Steel. AK purchased it from Severstahl, who purchased it when Rouge Steel went bankrupt. It was originally Ford Steel Division.

[@Nicklan1961]

@@GrayHare so the Russians sold it to AK

[@Nicklan1961]

@@GrayHare do they still have the JV with John Correnti

[@GrayHare]

Sorry, I'm retired now and don't know much about that. @@Nicklan1961

[@Nicklan1961]

@@GrayHare I was involved doing reorganization plans and agreements to purchase many of those bankrupt steel companies but I got broadsided by the president of the united states who invited me in writing to come to the USA to do this and then they arrested me when I showed up, to sign the purchase and sale agreements ,thank you George Bush and you got international steel group instead. The deal I made was for the Assumption of all secured debts and 10% equity a board seat to the unions with them agreeing to operate exactly the same as nucor operates. As there was no way we could pay the billions of dollars owed to the union pension funds.

[@yp77738yp77739]

3 months! No wonder manufacturing has moved overseas. I bet if that was done in China it would be finished in 24 hours. I’ve seen them put in miles of highway, closing the road only in the hours of darkness, by the morning it’s finished and open again. It’s even worse in the UK, they’d still be doing it 10 years later as they can’t get the right health and safety certification.

[@GrayHare]

Did you see the size of the furnace? It’s the size of a small high rise. The refractory total was over 1 million bricks! I know you’re exaggerating when you say 1 day, but 3 mos was the norm back then and you only had an extra week or two built in to that.

[@yp77738yp77739]

@@GrayHare I apologise, I was being slightly facetious. But, having seen the Chinese achieve in one evening what it would the British to accomplish in several years it does make me wonder why the Anglo Saxons are so slow at everything. It does appear, at face value, to be inefficiency. I used to work with South Korean contractors and Japanese architects, project managing large high technology facilities in mainland China. The north Asians work extremely hard and efficiently. Roads or bridges that would take a year to build in the west, finished overnight, with zero impact to existing transport users. Even periodic factory shutdowns, weeks in the west compared to days in the east. There is some learning to take from them if we are ever to compete.

[@andyfeimsternfei8408]

Back when Americans actually worked for a living.

[@mikejungferman4744]

Well that was disappointing, really didn't see no relining of anything

[@WhoFlungPoo2024]

This is beyond fascinating! How many people on Earth can say they've stood inside a blast furnace? I am trying to get my head around the brute labor involved in this project and would be interested in how many man-hours were expended in accomplishing the entire project? Thanks for this great story!

[@GrayHare]

Hmmm, I knew details like the total man hours back then. We worked for 3 months on the reline from shutdown to start up. I’m going to guess we had at least 500 workers and most everyone would’ve been on 10-12 hr shifts. 3mos would be 90 days x 24 hr/day is 2,160 hours x 500 people is 1,080,000 manhours. Hope this makes sense. There’s many more people involved than can be seen. Look at the steel structures that came in already fabricated and just needed installed. Thx for watching and commenting!

[@mikes7639]

Those kind of furnaces take massive amount of refractory to reline, like boxcars full and its not fun work heavy work usually hot

[@GrayHare]

You’re right! We had to make sure we had enough of the right kind of bricks. A lot of preparation went into doing a reline.

[@414RadioTech]

wow you didn't even show the start up of the furnace or the shut down always wanted to know how they turned it on and off

[@GrayHare]

That was in there! To turn it off, you just have to shut down the air and stop feeding in the coke and iron. It’s like a car running out of gas. Then, to start it back up, you preheat the furnace with natural gas then start feeding coke into the furnace, then start adding iron ore and scrap. It takes a few loads to get a quality product out of it.

[@dDAMKErkk]

- ik heb hoogtevrees; door u kan ik dit toch zien Ik heb nooit 'geweten' wat hoogovens behelst. - ontzag heb ik er voor voor de operatiekamer én hoogovens - I am afraid of heights; because of you I can see this I never 'knew' what blast furnaces entailed. - I'm in awe of it for the operating room and blast furnaces - أنا خائف من المرتفعات؛ بسببك أستطيع أن أرى هذا لم أكن أعرف أبدًا ما الذي تنطوي عليه أفران الصهر. - أنا أشعر بالرهبة من ذلك لغرفة العمليات والأفران العالية

[@GrayHare]

You’re welcome! I’m happy to share my experiences with the world. Thanks for watching and commenting.