Economic, technological, environmental, and social aspects of gas analysis

Nowadays when not only individual companies, but also whole countries are struggling for markets, competitiveness issues are of particular importance. The main aspects that determine the competitive advantages of an enterprise depend on the following factors: institutional factors such as government, legal framework in which business is carried out, and inner factors of an enterprise which include strategy of company development that takes into account the availability of skilled and highly skilled workforce; dynamic development of related and associated industries (industrial production); development of new knowledge (including know-how) embodying it in new materials, machinery, products, and technology solutions implemented in the human factor, as company’s capital.

Core points of complex processes which analysis allows to identify include the course of the process as a whole; optimal mode of technologic units; correspondence between resource costs and given parameters of final product; volumes of emissions of harmful substances into the environment and into the working area. Such a complex analysis cannot be carried out without adequate modern equipment, analysis of the results in real-time mode and proper feedback.

At the same time, modern analytical equipment requires great personnel awareness of manufacturing processes on the one hand and, on the other hand it becomes an attractive tool for intellectual development of employees. Such employees are one of the main assets of any enterprise, although it often is undervalued as a whole.

Everything above can be applied to all kinds of enterprises regardless of their form of ownership.

In recent years, when economic and other sanctions were imposed on Russian economy, the country has announced a program of import substitution and started the program of development and implementation of its own domestic technological advances. However, the question is whether Russian leading companies are ready for this? The experience of our company shows that not all companies are ready for that. Only those who think about the development of their company, its industrial, technological and scientific potential, give other companies an example by using modern gas detection equipment, which develops, produces and implements Research Centre “Analytic”.

Coke production.
Coke production is characterized by complex chemical, physical and physical-chemical processes. The entire cycle of coking process can be divided into five stages depending on the heating temperature. Almost all of them are associated with the formation of gaseous products of combustion, which volumes at modern coke plants are considerably great. Consequently, the use of gas analysis results, its competent interpretation allows to: observe and improve technological processes, make decisions about the air quality in the working area, adequately assess and manage the negative impact of emissions into the environment.

Coke is the essential raw material of steel industry together with iron ore. Therefore, its constant supply and quality improve are extremely important. The greatest costs are associated with the acquisition of metallurgical coke. Consumption and quality of this material, in addition to the price factor (more than 20% of steel production costs), has a significant impact on the technical and economic indicators of the blast furnace process as well as metallurgical enterprise in general.

The use of gas analytical systems such as “Granat” and “Analytic” can reduce the costs of coke production by 2-8%. This in turn reduces the cost of production, allows to make best decisions, improve working conditions and reduce harmful emissions into the environment. Experience of the use of our gas analytical systems shows that the cost of the enterprise of its´ implementation recouped within 3-9 months.

Thus, as long as the greatest costs are associated with the acquisition of metallurgical coke, the consumption and quality of this material, in addition to the price factor (more than 20% of steel production costs), has a significant impact on the technical and economic indicators of the blast furnace process and the enterprise as a whole. Therefore, optimization of the coke production as well as the reduction of costs affects not only the economic performance of the production, but also metallurgical production related to it. Gas analytical equipment is playing the leading role in conducing the processes with minimum costs by:
– improving technical characteristics of the existing coke production plants in order to improve the material utilization rates, reducing waste and losses, etc;
– facilitating the introduction of advanced resource-saving technologies;
– allowing real-time monitoring of harmful emissions into the environment and working area.

All the given aspects represent the main source of the company’s profit growth and profitability increase. In addition, the enterprise reputation should also be taken into account as it attracts new specialists, for whom the cumulative assessment of the enterprise, rather than its individual success plays one of the main roles in modern conditions.