How Goodwin ANZE Submersible Slurry Pumps Improved Productivity and Safety at a 600,000 TPA Steel Plant
Steel plants across India face significant operational challenges when handling mill scale, a dense and abrasive material generated during hot rolling operations. Effective mill scale removal is critical to ensuring smooth water recirculation, preventing equipment damage, and maintaining production targets.
This case study highlights how one of South India’s largest steel bar manufacturers—producing 600,000 tonnes annually—overcame recurring pump failures, safety risks, and production disruption by deploying the Goodwin 100 ANZE submersible slurry pump.
Mill Scale Build-Up Disrupting Water Recirculation
The plant used a three-chamber tank system to separate mill scale from water:
Chamber 1 – Mill scale settles by gravity
Chamber 2 & 3 – Water overflows and is used for the production process
Vertical shaft dewatering pumps were installed at the top of Chamber 3 to pump cleaner water
However, due to heavy mill scale build-up in Chamber 1, abrasive solids entered the subsequent chambers, causing:
Frequent dewatering pump failures
Costly repairs and replacements
Disruption in water supply for plant processing
Reduced output and unplanned downtime
Manual removal using a grab bucket was extremely difficult due to poor access. This manual cleaning:
Occurred every two weeks
Interrupted steel production
Prevented the site from achieving monthly targets
Created serious health and safety risks for workers entering or working near the tank
Deploying the Goodwin 100 ANZE Submersible Slurry Pump
Goodwin performed a comprehensive on-site study and quickly identified the root cause: mill scale accumulation was overwhelming the settling chamber and affecting downstream pumps.
The Goodwin team recommended the 100 ANZE heavy-duty submersible slurry pump, a proven solution across India’s steel and manufacturing sectors.
Why the 100 ANZE was the ideal solution
- High-chrome, abrasion-resistant construction for mill scale
- Inbuilt agitator for breaking compacted deposits
- Non-clog pump design with high-solids capability
- Portable and easy to deploy in restricted-access areas
- Strong pumping efficiency even with dense, heavy particles
- Reduces load on dewatering pumps, preventing motor burnouts and blockages.
Goodwin also proposed installing a new collection tank near the dumping yard, reducing transportation requirements and offering further operational savings.
The steel plant approved the solution immediately and procured the pump for installation at the dewatering pump location.
Improved Productivity, Reduced Downtime & Enhanced Safety
- Fast, efficient mill scale removal - The Goodwin ANZE pump handled the compacted mill scale with ease, eliminating the need for manual tank entry.
- No more dewatering pump breakdowns - Cleaner water reach to chamber 3 preventing pump failures and maintenance delays.
- Zero manual cleaning inside the tank - Operator safety increased dramatically.
- Uninterrupted plant operations - The site achieved its monthly production targets with no desilting-related disruptions.
- Long-term cost savings - No more repeated shutdowns, contractor dependence, or pump replacement cycles.
"I am very happy to get a good quality product which is portable and easy to handle and it pumps very good concentration of mill scales and really it helped us to solve our very long time issue of handling mill scales."
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