A system for operating a seal gas compressor utilized in a direct reduction process, the system comprising: a Distributed Control System; one or more pH probes coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring is carried out at one or more locations upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the seal gas compressor; a pH adjusting chemical injector coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the one or more pH probes at the direction of the Distributed Control System: a corrater probe coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for monitoring a corrosiveness of the water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the corrosiveness of the water stream is affected by the reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, and a corrosiveness chemical injector coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for delivering one or more of a film forming, vapor phase, and electrochemical corrosive treatment program to the water stream and adjusting the corrosiveness of the water stream to maintain the corrosiveness of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. a Distributed Control System; one or more pH probes coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring is carried out at one or more locations upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the seal gas compressor; a pH adjusting chemical injector coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the one or more pH probes at the direction of the Distributed Control System: a corrater probe coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for monitoring a corrosiveness of the water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the corrosiveness of the water stream is affected by the reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, and a corrosiveness chemical injector coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for delivering one or more of a film forming, vapor phase, and electrochemical corrosive treatment program to the water stream and adjusting the corrosiveness of the water stream to maintain the corrosiveness of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. a corrater probe coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for monitoring a corrosiveness of the water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the corrosiveness of the water stream is affected by the reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, and a corrosiveness chemical injector coupled to the Distributed Control System and operable for delivering one or more of a film forming, vapor phase, and electrochemical corrosive treatment program to the water stream and adjusting the corrosiveness of the water stream to maintain the corrosiveness of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. <EOS>