Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0667-0582
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2011-04-20T04:00Z

Site Visit Report

ArcelorMittal -- Indiana Harbor
3001 Dickey Road
East Chicago, IN 46312

3210 Watling Street
East Chicago, IN 46312
August 3, 2009

1.0	Background and Objectives

      The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of developing 316(b) cooling water intake structure requirements that reflect the best technology available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact for all existing power plants and manufacturing facilities. As part of this process, EPA staff is visiting electric generators and manufacturers to better understand the cooling water intake structure (CWIS) technologies in use at facilities, including the site-specific characteristics of each facility and how these affect the selection and performance of CWIS technologies.  EPA is also visiting facilities to better understand cooling water use and specific issues or technologies that can affect 316(b) compliance.  ArcelorMittal's Indiana Harbor facility (Indiana Harbor) was selected for a site visit because it utilizes cooling water in manufacturing steel and other metal products.

2.0	Facility Description

      ArcelorMittal's Indiana Harbor facility is located on a 3300 acre site on the shore of Lake Michigan in East Chicago, IN.  The facility is actually comprised of two formerly separate steel mills; the West side was established in 1914 and the East side began operations in 1907.  Collectively, the facility employs approximately 6500 personnel.  The facility has two NPDES permits, one for each former mill (NPDES permit numbers IN0000205 and IN0000094, respectively).  The permits have expired (September 29, 1991 and May 31, 2001, respectively) and are in the process of being renewed.

3.0	Manufacturing Information

      Indiana Harbor produces over 10 millions tons of steel per year, making it one of the 5 largest steel mills in the world.  It primarily produces high-end metal products (such as rolled steel) that are used in automobiles, appliances, and pipes.  The West side is comprised of two blast furnaces, a hot strip mill, and a finishing mill.  The East side operates the largest blast furnace in the U.S., as well as a second smaller blast furnace.
      
      The facility has seen production slow substantially and idled over 1000 workers in early 2009, but has recently seen production begin to increase.  The facility's location makes it more viable than other inland locations, as it has ready access to water, cheaper shipping, and is closer to the ore, much of which comes from Canadian mines.
      
      The West side was closed for approximately 18 months in the early part of this decade, but was purchased by ISG and brought back online in 2002.  ISG merged with Mittal Steel in 2005, which was then purchased by Arcelor in 2006.  The East side began as Inland Steel, was sold to Ispat in 1998, and became part of Mittal.

4.0	Cooling Water System and Intake Structure

      The location of the intake structures (and the configuration of the facility) has evolved over the years; the facility was originally located on the historic lakeshore but expanded outward into the lake.  The West side's CWISs withdraw from the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, which bisects the two plants; the East side's CWISs are located directly on Lake Michigan.  Most of the water withdrawn is used for once-through non-contact cooling; a large volume of process/contact water is also used onsite, but the facility has worked over the years to recirculate the majority of its process water.  Makeup water for the process water systems is also supplied by the CWISs; the fire suppression system also uses the intake structures.
      
      The West side has six cooling water systems (CWSs) and four CWISs.  The main CWIS (CWIS #2) is located at the end of a secondary intake canal (approximately 5500 feet in length) that withdraws water from the mouth of the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal through a riprap weir and runs into the center of the West side peninsula.  CWIS #2 is connected to its primary water user (the power plant, which uses approximately 100 million gallons per day [mgd]) via a 14 foot diameter tunnel 250 feet underground.  Two other CWISs are also located in this canal (one low-head intake near the terminus of the canal, the other approximately 2000 feet from the canal entrance), while the other one (CWIS #1) withdraws from the Ship Canal.  In total, the West side's design intake flow is 627 mgd.  Its average actual intake flow (AIF) is approximately 370 mgd.
      
      The West side uses a mixture of once-through and recirculating cooling systems.  As stated above, most of the once-through cooling water is for the power plant; cooling water at the hot strip mill and hot mill is recycled through onsite lagoons.  The blast furnaces also recycle much of the process water.
      
      Facility representatives stated that they do not precisely measure the intake flow.  CWIS #2 has 5 pumps, #1 has 4 (with only 1-2 usually operational), and #3 has 3 72 mgd pumps (operating 2 when the hot strip mill is operating).  Each of the pumphouses are linked to the same circulating water system and work cooperatively to maintain proper flow and pressure levels.  CWIS #2 also provides water to the tin plant onsite, which is still owned by US Steel.
      
      The West side's main intake withdraws water through a bar rack and into the screenhouse with 5 bays.  Each bay has one coarse mesh traveling screen, but two bays have been closed.  CWISs #1 and #3 have a similar configuration, with #1 having three coarse mesh screens and #3 having 11 bays but only 6 screens.  All of the screen use a high pressure wash and discharge any debris or impinged organisms to the trash.
      
      The East side also uses a mixture of once-through and recirculating cooling systems.  An extensive tunnel system was constructed in the bedrock beneath the facility to facilitate recirculation of cooling water between process areas; facility representatives stated that approximately 569 mgd of water is recycled within the system via 5 pumphouses at various locations.  The East side has been expanded and modified over the years as needed and has two treatment plants.
      
      The East side has two CWSs, which are each served by a single CWIS.  The primary CWIS (CWIS #2) is located at the end of a 1000 foot long intake canal at the southeastern end of the facility.  This CWIS provides the majority of the cooling water for the East side.  The second CWIS (CWIS #1), located approximately halfway out the peninsula, provides cooling water to the northern half of the East side.  The East side's DIF is 569 mgd and its AIF is approximately 160 mgd.

      The East side's primary CWIS draws water through bar racks and over a "lift wall"  in the canal into a tunnel at the pumphouse.  Within the pumphouse, 5 intake bays (each with a 3/8" coarse mesh traveling screen) feed a common sump with 7 pumps with a design intake flow (DIF) of 360 mgd.  Screens are rotated infrequently, as facility representatives noted that there is normally minimal debris (mostly plastic bags) or impingement (fish are only observed for a few days each year); all materials are disposed in a landfill.
      
      The main user of cooling water from the East side's CWIS #2 is the blast gas furnace power house, located near the intake canal.  The vast majority of the water withdrawn (approximately 115 mgd) for the power house is once-through non-contact cooling water.
      
      The East side's second CWIS (CWIS #7) supplies a distribution area on the site for the former coal-fired generating unit.  A concrete culvert in the shoreline opens to Lake Michigan at the end of a small inlet bay; water then passes into the adjacent screenhouse.  The CWIS has a trash rack and seven coarse mesh traveling screens.  There are three circulating pumps (approximately 58 mgd each) and four service water pumps (approximately 43 mgd each) for a total DIF of 345 mgd.  However, due to process changes and reductions in water usage, the facility only operates one service water pump at approximately half capacity (an actual intake flow (AIF) of approximately 20 mgd).  Facility representatives estimated that half of the water withdrawn was used for once-through equipment cooling, with the remainder being used as makeup water for various systems.  The screens are rotated infrequently (debris loading is small) and materials are returned to Lake Michigan via a debris return.  Facility representatives stated that the intake velocity is approximately 0.3 fps.
      
      The East side's fire suppression system withdraws from both the CWISs and the recirculation tunnels.
      
      Indiana Harbor withdraws water even when the facility is not producing steel; the volume is much lower, but moving water keeps pipes clear of fouling organisms.  Chlorination is also used at each CWIS to control fouling; zebra mussels and quagga mussels are problematic in the Great Lakes.  Overall, facility representatives stated that they do not experience significant clogging from fouling organisms.

5.0	Flow Diagram
      
      Following the site visit, the facility provided a water balance diagram for the East side.  (See Attachment C.)  The diagram shows the major recirculation systems.  Attachment D shows the general flow diagram for the West side.

6.0	Electricity Generation and Transmission
      
      Facility representatives stated that approximately 30-40% of the plant's power needs are generated onsite.  Indiana Harbor Coke provides the majority of the generation via the coke plant in the northern section of the East side.  The West side also has a generating unit that was built in the 1930s.  Facility representatives stated that it is difficult to estimate the electricity generated by these units, as they are used for multiple purposes -- power generation, steam generation, and to drive turboblowers that provide wind within the blast furnaces.
      
      As noted in Section 4.0 above, the East side previously operated a 400MW coal-fired generating unit, but that unit has been taken out of service.  The coal yard is still active, however, as it stores fuel for the blast furnaces.

7.0	Impingement and Entrainment Information

      Facility representatives noted that scientists from Purdue University conducted a biological survey in the 1980s.

8.0	Cooling Tower Feasibility
      
      The West side recycles some of its cooling water via cooling lagoons and also has a 4 mechanical draft cooling towers onsite.  Its largest water user of once-through water (the power plant) is located in a congested area, making a cooling tower retrofit difficult; the towers would likely be located over a half mile away.
      
      The East side employs 35 cooling towers of various sizes across the facility; the facility began adding them in the 1960s and facility representatives noted that virtually every process line has a cooling tower.  The towers are operated by existing staff at each unit or by centralized utilities staff and normally operate year-round, except for a 6-8 week period in winter.  Facility representatives stated that there was no significant problem with drift or plume from the towers.
      
      Most of the towers at Indiana Harbor have been built since the 1970s, in response to the Clean Water Act and other regulatory initiatives.  Facility representatives estimated the cycles of concentration for all towers range from 1.5 to 3, depending on whether the tower is used for process or non-contact cooling and whether the tower serves a blast furnace.  Facility representatives stated that 11 of the towers (between both sites) are used for exclusively process water cooling and 5 towers are used for exclusively non-contact cooling.
      
      As noted in Section 4.0 above, the East side's power plant uses a large volume of once-through cooling water.  Facility representatives noted that the existing underground recirculation tunnels do not have sufficient circulating capacity to add the power plant flows.  They also stated that adding cooling towers would be feasible, but given the age of the system, would not be a financially sound decision.  The power house is also likely to be very expensive to demolish.  Facility representatives also stated that they do not expect that a cooling system retrofit could be accomplished during a normal scheduled outage.
      
      Facility representatives stated that the blast furnaces generally do not have regularly scheduled maintenance outages.  The furnaces are taken offline approximately 10 days per year (one day at a time) for maintenance.  The steel shops are batch processors, however, and may have opportunities for longer downtime periods.  Facility representatives noted that many of the steel shops (including the smaller specialty shops) can operate independently of the remainder of the facility and can share materials with other sites to remain operational.
      
      Facility representatives noted that a pair of 2-cell cooling towers do cause some problems with plume and visibility under certain conditions; roads may be closed due to the fogging due to the safety hazard posed by rail traffic during slab operations.

9.0	Future Activities
      
      Facility representatives did not indicate any plans to expand the facility or its intake flows in the foreseeable future.  As noted above, the facility is hopeful that its production will increase soon.

10.0	Cooling Ponds
	
      As noted in Section 4.0 above, the West side does use some cooling lagoons as part of a recirculating system.

11.0	316(a)

      EPA did not collect any information on thermal discharges.
      
12.0	Ash Handling

      EPA did not collect any information on ash handling procedures.

13.0	Air Emissions Controls

      Facility representatives stated that a $43 million scrubber was recently installed at the #4 blast furnace.  EPA did not collect any further information on air emissions controls.

14.0	Issues with Debris
      
      Facility representatives did not note any significant issues with debris management.  Some intake structures are equipped with air bubblers to prevent ice formation in the winter.

15.0	Additional Information

      Facility representatives stated that the age of the site and the incremental expansion over time has created significant process inefficiencies; a newly constructed steel mill would be configured very differently.  The West side is more logically laid out and also has process units that are smaller and require less cooling water.
      
      The adjacent British Petroleum refinery recently implemented a major expansion in refining capacity to accommodate processing of Canadian crude oil.  As such, there is no nearby land available for purchase.
      
      Almost all raw materials are delivered by ship to the ship canal.  Coal is delivered by rail.

Attachments

Attachment A		List of Attendees
Attachment B		Aerial Photos
Attachment C	Water Balance Diagram for East Side
Attachment D	Water Flow Diagram for West Side
Attachment E	Site Visit Photos

Attachment A--List of Attendees

Paul Shriner, EPA
Jan Matuszko, EPA
Sean Ramach, EPA Region V
John Sunda, SAIC
Kelly Meadows, Tetra Tech
Tom Barnett, ArcelorMittal
Simonne Benoit, ArcelorMittal
Kevin Doyle, ArcelorMittal
Tom Malinkowski, ArcelorMittal
Richard Dean, ArcelorMittal
Mike Rossner, ArcelorMittal

Attachment B -- Aerial Photos

Please see DCN 10-6551A accompanying this document.

Attachment C -- Water Balance Diagram for East Side

Please see DCN 10-6551B accompanying this document.

Attachment D -- Water Flow Diagram for West Side

Please see DCN 10-6551C accompanying this document.

Attachment E -- Site Visit Photos

Please see DCNs 10-6551D through K accompanying this document.