Brazilian flats steelmaker Usiminas released a preliminary report about a blast that occurred at its Ipatinga mill on August 10, in the city of same name in the state of Minas Gerais. The blast halted production at the mill, as reported by SteelOrbis.
Usiminas said a study found the explosion at one of the mill’s gas units was a result of the “inappropriate” admission of atmospheric air into the gas unit. The company listed several factors that had an impact in the incident, despite recognizing the report is “partial.”
The report said there was a “failure” in the automatic control of valves of the gas recovery system LDG at converter No. 4 at steelworks No. 2. Additionally, there was also an admission of an “increased” volume of air into the gas unit, which despite a cleansing from LDG equipment, might have started the blast with its sparking ability.