Transportation - Handling & Storage

TRANSPORTATION, HANDLING, STORAGE AND SHIPPING OF

HBI
1.

INTRODUCTION.

HBI stands for Hot Briquetted Iron, the densified form of direct
reduced iron, which can be in the form of pellets and lump, or in
reduced iron fines. DRI refers to Direct Reduced Iron in the form of
pellets and lump, which has not been densified after reduction. HBI
has superior performance in handling, shipping, storage, and
steelmaking.
This document sets forth procedures recommended by the HBI
Association for the proper transportation, handling, storage, and
shipping of HBI. This will indicate for the HBI user the condition
resulting in maximum performance of the product and minimal
losses or hazardous events.

2. PROPERTIES OF HBI.
The properties of HBI can vary slightly depending upon: the type of
process used in production, operational parameters and targets of
each producer, and the raw material used.
Several parameters (e.g., total iron content, metallization level,
gangue content and composition, sulfur and phosphorous content,
the carbon level, and physical characteristics) are sensitive to
variations in raw materials and the production process, but in
general HBI has many additional properties that make it a useful
raw material in iron and steelmaking industries.

a. An extremely low level of copper, nickel, chrome,

molybdenum and tin.

b. A high bulk density and apparent density.

Bulk density:

> 2.4 mT/m , or > 3.3 nT/yd

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Apparent Density: >5.0 g/cm , (steel = 7.0 g/cm )

c. A compacted, non-porous structure.

d. Optimum sizing and surface-to-volume ratio.
e. Good thermal and electrical conductivity.

f.

Stability during ocean, inland water and inland transport

g. Low sulfur material

h. Promotes low nitrogen and hydrogen in steel.
i.

Uniform and well defined composition.

3. HANDLING AND STORAGE

The end user wants a highly metallized HBI, dry and as physically
intact as possible. Therefore all handling and storage procedures
should be aimed to achieve these properties.
Dust Control
The end user wants a minimum amount of fines. Although
briquettes are strong, it is important to minimize the height and
number of drops when transferring them during handling. Some
breakage is inevitable at each transfer location so handling systems
should be designed accordingly.
In any material handling operation (from production plant to final
customer destination), some fine dust is generated at each transfer
stage. In order to comply with environmental requirements, it is
allowable and may be necessary to use a fresh water spray mist to
minimize dust. To reduce the amount of dust generated, it is
desirable to minimize the number and height of transfer stations.
Use of fresh water sprays must be limited only to controlling the
dust since product rusting and corrosion will reduce desirable
metallization.
Avoid Spillage.
All types of conventional bulk material handling equipment utilized
in melt-shops can handle HBI. HBI is normally transferred to the
scrap-yard by barge, rail, or truck. Once unloaded in the storage
yard a front-end loader or a crane using a magnet or clamshell type
bucket is acceptable. HBI does not drain out of small openings in
buckets and truck beds, as does DRI. The recommended way to
load the HBI in a truck is shown in Figure 1 to avoid material
spillage. Due to the high bulk density of HBI, care must be taken to
avoid overloading vehicles.

Figure 1. - Recommended truck loading of HBI.

Care should be exercised when handling HBI with front-end loaders

3
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since the bulk density of HBI (2.4 t/m ), (3.3nT/yd ) is often higher
than the rated capacity of buckets used for normal bulk materials
and the machine can be overloaded.
Scrap-yard magnets are normally used for charging scrap buckets
and the HBI can be handled easily with these magnets. For
example, a 2-meter diameter magnet, which is rated at 3.5 tons
typically, picks up around 2 tons of HBI per lift.
Quality loss during storage.
HBI is normally stored the same as scrap, without cover and
exposed to the weather.
HBI will slowly reoxidize or rust in storage, which results in a loss of
metallic iron and metallization. The losses are higher on the
outside layer and diminish towards the center of the pile. The level
of reoxidation of a pile depends mainly on the apparent density of
the product, the shape and size of the pile and weather conditions.
However, the metallization loss is generally very low. For a
standard pile of 4,000 MT of HBI with a height of stack of 4.5
meters (15 ft), the highest metallization loss registered has been
3% after six months in rainy tropical conditions.
Inventory Control and Storage.
HBI should be used on a first in first out basis. As pointed out in the
previous section, metallization decreases as a consequence of
weather conditions, so material used on a first in-last out basis will
have variable metallic iron, which will affect yield as well as furnace

operation.
The storage area should be located so as to be accessible to the
loading equipment and should be as close to the melt shop as
practical in order to avoid double handling of the product, which
may result in an increase of fines.
HBI should always be stored in an area that has adequate drainage
so the piles do not become flooded after rainstorms. It is not
recommended to allow the piles to be wetted by anything but
rainwater, so they should not be located in areas subject to
condensation from cooling towers or carryover of water or solution
from other plant equipment.
Due to the relative inert character of HBI, it is not necessary to
cover the storage piles to prevent rapid reoxidation. It is generally
most efficient to pile the HBI in a tent shaped piles 4-5 meters
(about 12 to 15 ft) high as shown in Figure 2. Smaller piles waste
storage area and result in higher metallization loss due to the
increased surface area per unit volume. In order to form piles
higher than 4-5 meters with front-end loaders, it is usually
necessary to run the loader on top of piled material, which results in
increased breakage. Material can be piled higher than 4-5 meters if
a stacker is used.

Figure 2. Recommended and not recommended

HBI stock-piling.
Storage in silos.
If HBI is to be loaded into storage silos for use in continuous
charging, the receiving hopper should be equipped with a grizzly to
remove large pieces of foreign materials or plates of multiple
briquettes that may be occasionally encountered in some HBI.
If the storage silos discharge directly onto feeder belts, there should
be sufficient clearance between the silo discharge and the conveyor
belt to avoid jamming of briquettes in the discharge opening that
may result in damage to the belts. No special care such as the use

of nitrogen or other inert gas needs to be considered, as is the case

for DRI pellets in silo storage.
Care should be exercised not to mix lime with briquettes in the
storage silos. During rainy conditions, the lime may become wetted
and will then heat up. This may instigate overheating of the HBI to
a hazard condition.
Sight of overheating.
Steaming of HBI piles is not necessarily a sign of overheating. After
being wetted by rain, HBI piles will release excess water by heating
slightly to around 50 to 60 degrees C (120 to 140 degrees F).
Plumes of steam will be seen above the piles. Overheating can be
noted by measuring temperatures at the peak of the pile, if there
are temperatures in excess of 100 degrees C (212 degrees F), this
is a serious indication of material overheating. At this stage, no
flame will be present.
Control of overheating.
If overheating to temperatures in excess of 100 degrees C is
observed, the material should be removed from the pile and spread
out on the ground in a layer of about 0.5 meters (20 inches) using a
track equipped bulldozer or front end loader, as shown in Figure 3.
Rubber tired front end loaders can be utilized, but tire exposure to
high temperature on top of the material should be limited to periods
of less than 1 minute before cooling down the tires. Water sprays
can be trained on the tires to speed up cool down when the loader
is off the pile.

Figure 3. - Controlling procedure for hot material in HBI or DRI

stockpiles.
It is imperative not to spray water on an overheated pile of HBI.
First, water cannot penetrate to the center of the pile where heat is
the highest and secondly, hydrogen can be generated by reaction
with water, which further increases risk. It should be emphasized
that in all instances where HBI has overheated in piles, the material
has been cooled and stabilized simply by lowering the height of the

pile and allowing the heat to dissipate.

Other less recommended methods are: to bury the pile under sand
or other suitable fine material to cut off oxygen supply; as a final
resort, when other alternatives are not practicable, the material can
be flooded with water. The second practice may lead to the loss of
the HBI due to a high loss of metallization.

4. PROCEDURES FOR WATER TRANSPORTATION

HBI is a very stable, it can be handled, stored and transported
safely and routinely without any reoxidation by keeping it cool and
dry. If these conditions are met during handling from point of
production to point of consumption, the percent of metallization of
HBI will be the same at the time of use as at the time of production.
Like all iron materials, HBI will rust when exposed to water.
However, HBI is normally stored in uncovered, exposed piles.
Rusting is confined to the surface layers only, so that the overall
loss of metallization of the bulk pile is minimal.
Procedure for Loading HBI.
Ship Condition Prior to Loading.
The following rules should be observed when the ship is to be
loaded.

The master of the ship must have a written

certification from the National Cargo Bureau or a
competent person appointed by the shipper and
recognized by authorities, at the time of loading, is
suitable for shipment.

Each hold and bilge must be as clean and dry as

reasonably practicable. Where possible, adjacent
ballast tanks, other than double bottom double
tanks, must be kept empty. All wooden fixtures,
such as battens, must be removed.

There should not be heat sources, such as steam

lines, in the hold.

Hatches and holds should be watertight.

Each boundary of a hold in which HBI is to be

carried must be resistant to fire and passage of
water.

Radar and RDF scanners should be adequately

protected against dust.

HBI Condition Prior to Loading.
HBI must not be loaded if the product temperature is
in excess of 65 C (150F).

The shipper shall certify that the material complies

with the requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) Special Permit 2-85R and the IMO Code of
Safe Practice for Solid Bulk Cargoes, including the
limitation of the amount of fines (- 6 mm, or -1/4 in) to
5%.

Loading Procedure.

HBI loading should only be done in dry weather

conditions. If it starts raining during loading, the
loading operation must be halted and hatches
closed until the rain stops. Loading of wet material
is permitted.

When loading HBI, precautions must be taken to

avoid the concentration of fines (- 6 mm) in any
location in the cargo holds. The HBI should be
evenly distributed in the holds, making the pile as
flat as possible.

When loading is completed, the hatches should be

closed immediately, and the ship should be washed
thoroughly with high-pressure fresh water sprays.
This will remove the dust adhered to the structure.

After washing is complete, reopen hatches for 1 or 2

days during dry weather to allow dissipation of water
from the briquettes. If wet HBI were loaded, they will
warm up to about 60C (140F) and will produce
steam and a small amount of hydrogen as they dry.

The hatches should be opened to allow the

hydrogen and water vapor to escape, since these
gases are lighter than air. This is a normal condition,
and will last 1-2 days until the HBI is dry. Once dry,
the briquettes will cool down to about 30C (86F)
and the evolution of steam and hydrogen will cease.
At this point, the hatches can be closed.

NOTE :

If at any time a loaded cargo hold must be

entered, the hold must be checked for
adequate oxygen concentration. Before any
person enters a hold containing HBI, the hold
must be ventilated for a sufficient time to
dissipate any accumulated gases and to

ensure adequate oxygen for breathing.

Ocean Transportation
During the ocean journey the following rules should be observed
Hatches should remain closed during ocean shipment to
prevent entry of water into the hatches. Do not open
hatches in open sea.
Ventilators should be kept open in transit to allow water
vapor to escape, and to prevent reduction of oxygen in
the stow. Ventilators can be closed during heavy seas if
necessary.

If a small amount of sea water enters the hold due to

hatch cover leaks during heaving seas, follow the same
procedure as in the last point of loading procedure
should be applied. The steaming may not be noted for
16-24 hours after the ingress of seawater. The HBI
contacted by seawater will oxidize to a reddish brown
color. This is only superficial and does not affect the
quality of the cargo.

If a hold is breached due to an accident and the hold is

flooded with seawater, a bubbling action in the flooded
cargo will be noticed due to the production of steam and
hydrogen. The water temperature will remain constant it will not heat up. Leave hatch covers open to allow
hydrogen to escape. No explosive gas mixtures will be
formed under this condition. Immediately consult the
Shipper or the P & I clubs in order to define what further
action should be taken.
Insure to advise shipper
immediately via one of the following: telephone, fax,
telex or email.

Inspection of Holds when Ship is Docked at the unloading

Port.
Upon arriving at the discharge port, the holds of the ship containing
HBI should be inspected. When the vessel arrives at the port, the
holds should be inspected to determine the condition of the holds
and to determine whether or not there are any hot spots in the pile
or evidence of water entrance in the stowage.
The inspection should include the following:

The weather tightness of the hatch covers. The presence of

wetted briquettes on top of the cargo indicates that water
has seeped into the hold via the hatch covers.

Possible entry of water through the double bottom of the

hull. This will be indicated by wetted briquettes at the
bottom of the pile at the discharging end.

Distributions of the HBI in each hold for later discharge

procedures.

Presence of hot spots in any of the holds. Hot spots are

defined as areas where the temperature exceeds 100 C
(212 F). If hot spots are detected, this material has to be
unloaded first.

HBI Unloading
Prior to starting HBI unloading procedures, the following
precautions should be taken:

Radar and RDF scanners should be protected against dust.

HBI unloading does not have to be halted during rain, but

transshipping to other vessels should be halted.

When unloading with a magnet or clamshell, the drop of the

briquettes when discharging should be minimized to reduce
breakage and production of fines.

After unloading, the holds can be rinsed out with highpressure fresh water to remove any fines that have
accumulated.

After the holds are clean, the top structure should again be
washed with fresh water to remove any fines that resulted
from the unloading, since dust is aggressive to painted
steel.

The type of system available in the port for discharge should be

taken into account prior to the actual unloading.
In order to discharge HBI, any system used for discharge of bulk
materials can be utilized including:

Magnets (Since briquettes are magnetic).

Overhead crane with grab.

Small front -end loader in hold discharging into buckets.

Systems to transfer briquettes onto belts, trucks, train cars,

or barges.

When grabs or magnets are used to load trucks, train cars

or barges, the material should be dropped the minimum

distance possible in order to avoid breakage and
production of fines, as show in Figure 4.

Figure 4. - Truck loading recommendation

In the event that a hot spot is located in any of the holds, action
should be taken to unload that area of the hold immediately. The
HBI should only be transported by truck to a nearby area where it
can be spread out to be cooled. Hot HBI should not be loaded into
railway cars or barges under any conditions. During final discharge
only, a fine spray of water may be used to control dust from HBI.
Barges - Oceangoing
Prior to loading, the barges should be inspected to ensure that the
bottom is dry and free of rags, wood or other material that could
cause heat-up or contamination. Barges should be equipped with a
means of removing water from the cargo. HBI should be evenly
distributed in the barge, making the pile as flat as possible and the
drop of the briquettes should be minimized, to reduce breakage and
production of fines.
HBI must be protected at all times from contact with water, and in
case of rain, loading should be halted and the hatches closed.
During transport, the following precautions should be taken:

If the transport is by sea, watertight hatch covers have to be

used to prevent ingress of salt water into the barge.

Rainwater should not be allowed to accumulate in the bottom

as this will lead to oxidation of the briquettes, which affects the
quality. Bilge pumps should be operable.

Unmanned Barges Inland waterways

The unmanned covered or uncovered barges may be used for
inland waterway transport. If covered, the covers shall be fitted with
vents adequate to provide natural ventilation.
After loading, the cargo may remain uncovered. If at any time the
cargo compartment of a covered and loaded barge must be

entered, the compartment must be checked for adequate oxygen

concentration. Before any person enters a cargo compartment
containing HBI, the hatches must be opened for a sufficient length
of time to dissipate any accumulated gases.
After unloading, the barge shall be cleaned thoroughly before
loading a different cargo.
When HBI is transported by barge, a copy of Coast Guard Special
Permit 2-85R, must be on board the tug or towing vessel. When the
barge is moored, the shipping paper and a copy of this Special
Permit must remain on the barge in a suitable protected location.

Figure 5. - Recommended HBI loading in barges.