Consultant, Kevin Kennedy Associates Inc.
Providing expertise in blast furnace operations, specializing in failure and recovery analysis, including gas analysis, blast volume, blast and furnace pressures, and stockline movement and level, and related expertise to a wide variety of clients.
Blast Furnace Consultant
Extensive work with refractory company Plibrico Limited in development of refractory materials for the Blast Furnace casthouse (taphole clay and runner refractory). This involved regular visits to all U.K. Blast Furnace Plants and occasionally Europe to monitor performance followed by assessment and recommendations. Also spent time back at Redcar Blast Furnace assisting with the recovery from a chilled hearth. Also a week in Hoogovens Ijmuiden followed by 3 weeks at C.S.N. in Brazil with Hoogovens Technical Service as part of a team assessing Blast Furnace operations prior to the introduction of Coal Injection. This consultant's responsibility was casthouse operations. Completed work with Plibrico shortly after they merged with Lafarge.
Shift Manager Ironmaking, Redcar Blast Furnace, Teesside
Expansion of Shift Manager position to cover all 4 Ironmaking plants, including Blast Furnace, Sinter Plant, Coke Ovens and Materials Handling. Oversaw of all 4 plants on a shift basis.
Section Manager, Operations Blast Furnace, Redcar Blast Furnace, Teesside
This period was during the second campaign of Redcar Blast Furnace. This role included overseeing shift operations, setting policy and procedures for both day-to-day and longer-term operations. With the benefit of experiencing the problems of the first campaign, identifying and correcting difficulties was more successful, however abnormal situations still arose in which this consultant had a more pivotal role. Sole responsibility for slag palletizing operation. The position of Operations was the senior of three section managers (others Technical and Ancillaries) and as such deputized for the plant manager. Responsibility also included longer-term cost saving objectives eg. reduction of casthouse refractory cost; reduction of tuyere usage; reduction of contract labor use; reduction of sickness/absence in furnace labor force; increase of production from slag pelletizer plant.
Blast Furnace Shift Manager, Redcar Blast Furnace, Teesside
Was responsible for management on a shift basis on the 14M hearth diameter, 4 taphole blast furnace. Implementation of day management policies and procedures but with a much larger and more problematic beast. This blast furnace was the largest in Europe, rated at 10,000T per day and a quantum leap from anything we had previously operated. Furnace size worldwide has not increased much further since. In the U.K. at that time existing blast furnaces were approximately 2,500T per day with the exception of Llanweryn No. 3 (South Wales) which at 11M was rated at 5,000T per day. This was the “stepping stone” to the giant class at Redcar. This furnace had operating problems and eventually failed. Extensive training for Redcar Blast Furnace included snagging the new plant, writing procedures, in-house classroom sessions, 4 weeks in Tobato works in Japan with both classroom and practical training and follow-up training of operators. The first campaign limped along to 15M tonnes and was subjected to numerous operational problems. The supply and quality of materials (coke & ferris) was badly disrupted by the failure of the Coke Oven plant and the Pellet plant, both new plants. There were also several blower failures and a complete power failure. All this was in addition to the normal operating problems that plague blast furnaces. In blast furnace operations interruptions such as the above are all likely to have the same outcome to varying degrees, i.e. chilled hearths, liquid slag and iron in the blast system and loss of cooling members resulting in water ingress to the furnace. The effects of these are cumulative and quickly lead to a downward spiral where the plant can be lost. Recovery from chills, when successful, can take weeks with resultant substantial losses to production. This consultant therefore has had extensive experience of abnormal operations, recovery operations and more importantly, the knowledge to recognize and correct a deteriorating situation.
Blast Furnace Shift Manager, Clay Lane Iron Works, Middlesbrough, Teesside
Was responsible for management on a shift basis of 3x 9M blast furnaces and personnel involved. Implementation of policies and procedures set by day management.
Day Supervisor, Clyde Iron Works, Tollcross, Glasgow
Responsibilities included assisting day management in setting policy and procedures for safe operation of the blast furnace plant. Also with abnormal furnace operations, eg. chills, blow outs, wrecking, blow ins. During this period also spent time on Sinter Plant operation and with the research laboratories.
Shift Supervisor, Clyde Iron Works, Tollcross, Glasgow
Was responsible on a shift basis for the safe operation of 3 x 6-7M blast furnaces and delivery of a regular supply of in specification hot metal to adjoining steel plant. Also responsible for discipline and training of furnace shift personnel.
Assistant Shift Supervisor, Clyde Iron Works, Tollcross, Glasgow
Industrial Chemist, Clyde Iron Works, Tollcross, Glasgow
Responsibilities included chemical analysis of materials used in and products from blast furnace operation, eg. iron ores, pig iron, slag, gas, water.
