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Safely emptying the galvanizing kettle
December 6, 2011Q. Hello Sir. Our zinc kettle is reported for leakage at several points. We now want to empty the kettle. What is the best and safe technique for this? Once we tried via buckets and then dipping those buckets in water and after that taking the solidified zinc out of the buckets, but it's taking so much time and blasts are also reported when dipped in water.
Khuzafa Rauf- Dammam, Saudi Arabia
^- Privately contact this inquirer -^
December 8, 2011A. Buckets are NOT a safe way to empty a kettle. You need a pump and if you have holes it needs emptying quickly.
Its a specialist job, and several such specialists exist, some advertise on this site.
And don't cool molten zinc with water. You risk lives being lost!
Geoff Crowley
galvanizing &
powder coating shop
Glasgow, Scotland
December 26, 2011Q. Thank you so much for the kind reply sir. Our kettle has been emptied and now we are planning to replace it with the new one. You told me not to solidify zinc with water, a part from the blasts and splashes, is there any other effect on the zinc quality by doing so? Can you kindly refer some book/literature about this very issue (regarding maintenance in HDP )I am a very new person in galvanizing industry and would really love to learn from you.Thanks lot again for your kind help!!
Khuzafa Rauf
galvanizing - Dammam, Saudi Arabia
December 26, 2011Q. Sir:
Dr. Thomas H. Cook
How many years did your galvanizing kettle last?
Regards,
- Hot Springs, South Dakota
December 28, 2011A. The reason to not solidify molten zinc with water is to avoid trapping water beneath zinc where it can explosively vapourise, forcing the zinc to violently splash.
Zinc so cooled by water is not damaged, and is reuseable, but there are much higher losses due to the higher surface area, and resultant oxidation on re-melting.
So the reason not to solidify with water is mostly a safety one not so much a metallurgical one.
After solidification water could be used very carefully to speed up cooling, but not too cold or you risk water inclusion in the ingot, and on re-melting this could explode.
Geoff Crowley
galvanizing &
powder coating shop
Glasgow, Scotland
January 29, 2012
Q. Sir,
After repairing of our Galvanizing kettle, now we are putting back the zinc block back to the kettle. On the time of removal we made the liquid zinc as near about 1 mt size block.
My question is, is it ok if we are putting back the same block to kettle or shall we have to fill with new zinc pieces.
Thanks and Regards
Shaji Peter
- Dammam, Saudi Arabia
February 1, 2012A. You can use the same zinc that came out, though this might not be enough.
You need to pack it in carefully, to avoid air pockets between (pack as tight as possible without forcing it, and ensure as much surface area contact as possible with side walls to get heat transfer.
Use 25 kg ingots to fill voids.
You will want a special heat up program, probably supplied by kettle manufacturer. Don't be tempted to rush that, you can cut years off the life expectancy of the new kettle!
Geoff Crowley
galvanizing &
powder coating shop
Glasgow, Scotland
May 5, 2012
Q. Sir there is a leakage in our galvanizing kettle, we solidified the zinc in that kettle, now we are are going to repair it via weld, is it technically right? your suggestion please
Khizer Abbas- Pakistan