The diagram below represents a simplified version of the steel production process at a steel mill and the capacity of each operation in tonnes per day (tpd). The outputs from iron ore processing, limestone processing, and coking coal oven need to be combined in a ratio of 4: 1 :2 into the blast furnace. Output of blast furnace equals the output of iron ore processing; limestone and coke are only for purifying and burning. The outputs from the blast furnace and recycled steel need to be combined in a ratio of 2: 1 for the oxygen furnace. Output of oxygen furnace = Output of blast furnace + Output of recycled steel. The remaining processes have a ratio of 1: 1 with their downstream process.

a. Calculate the daily capacity of the production process and identify the bottleneck.

b. If the capacity of the bottleneck in part a is increased by 50 percent, what is the new daily capacity and bottleneck?

c. What further improvements are needed to bring plant production to 2,700 tpd?

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Iron Ore Processing 2000 tpd Limestone Blast Oxygen Continuous Finishing Processing 600 tpd Furnace Furnace Casting 3,200 tpd Mll 3.000 tpd 2,300 tpd 2,200 tpd Cooking Coal Recycled Steel Oven 800 tpd 800 tpd