| Iron and Steel Gas Applications |
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The Iron & Steel Industry requires Oxygen to provide process heat through various exothermic reactions which occur upon contact with hot metal and liquid steel and through combustion of fossil fuels. Injected Oxygen also participates in the formation of carbon monoxide for the reduction of Iron or in the blast furnace and in some natural gases based processes for producing direct reduced iron. Nitrogen, argon and CO2 are used for inerting vessel, equipment and metal transfer streams in tapping and casting operations; to eliminate the formation of explosive mixtures in enclosed spaces; and to prevent undesirable reactions between iron and steel with oxygen and hydrogen in the surrounding atmosphere.
Nitrogen and Argon are also injected into molten iron and steel to provide metal stirring and slag/metal mixing, and as a carrier gas for powder injection. Additional uses for these gases include providing conditions which favor the oxidation of carbon instead of chromium in the argon oxygen decarurization (AOD) process for producing stainless and high alloy steels and as a coolant to protect oxygen injecting tuyeres in various oxygen converters. Hydrogen is mixed with inert gases to obtain a reducing atmosphere which is required for many applications in metallurgical industry, such as heat treating steel and welding. It is often used in annealing stainless steel alloys etc. Supply Options
The Iron & Steel Industry is by far the largest consumer of industrial gases. The supply options for this industry, considering the demand and the volume would invariably be either on-site installations or connection to a gas pipeline grid, if available. Lower consumption applications such as gases for continuous casting, rebaring, stainless steel production and bulk supplies could be made from remote locations and stored in cryogenic vessels kept on the plant site.
Gulf Cryo does operation and maintenance of on-site plants and ensures a guaranteed and reliable source of high quality gases in the pipeline. Bulk products for peak shaving and product make-up, are provided by Gulf Cryo ensuring improved on-stream time of the facility. Packaging options include the following:
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