Iron-making plant equipped with state-of-the-art gas safety protection system with specialist valves

Phil Black - PII Editor 03/10/2013

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A major project at SSI UK’s iron-making plant at Teesside includes specialist valves for a new gas safety system supplied by Pipe Centre.

SSI Thailand purchased the Teesside works in March 2011, after it had been shut-down for a year by previous owner Tata Steel. From a standing start, SSI UK Limited recommissioned the plant and produced the first steel slabs in April 2012.

The gas safety system is part of a new Pulverised Coal Injection plant installed recently at the Redcar facility, which has helped make it one of the most productive and efficient iron-making plants in the world.

Pulverised coal is injected at high pressure into the furnace as a less expensive alternative to coke in the iron-making process. Up to 40per cent of coke can be replaced with pulverised, dried coal.

The coal drying process requires large volumes of heating gases, which are provided by a combination of blast furnace gas and coke oven gas, plus nitrogen gas for purging and blanketing.

It is these gas supplies for which Wolseley UK’s Pipe Center supplied isolation valves from Frenstar, line blinds from SchuF and emergency gas shutoff valves (ROSOVs).

Pipe Center supplied specialist actuated valve packages, consisting of a 300mm ball valve and a 500mm double flanged high performance butterfly valve, actuated by high performance scotch yoke actuators with positive status indication, finished in a marine specification paint finish suitable for the local saline environment.

The ROSOVs, built by Valvestock, Pipe Center’s specialist valve arm based at Fareham, are based on valves from Frenstar and Pekos with actuators from Flowserve.

In the event of a major incident, the manually actuated valves are closed remotely from the Redcar Works Energy Distribution Centre, shutting down gas supplies without risk to personnel.

Pipe Center used its International connections to source SchuF Line blinds manufactured by Fetterolf Corporation in the US, to give positive isolation in line with HSG243 (the safe isolation of plant and equipment guidelines issued by the Health & Safety Executive).

Romney Goodwin, SSI’s project co-ordinator, said: “The new Pulverised Coal Injection Plant was crucial to the plant’s future and the economics of production. I am pleased to say it was completed and successfully commissioned in July this year.”

He added: “We worked closely with Pipe Center throughout all stages of the project. We have an excellent working relationship, based on their high level of technical understanding. They appreciate the theory and practicalities of the environment we operate in, and the pressures we work under – and can be relied on to deliver.”

The ability to source high-specification valves complete with bespoke actuators was an important factor for SSI.

Mr Goodwin said: “There are inevitable risks in sourcing valves and actuators from different suppliers, due to the high level of collaboration required between the parties to meet the precise specification for the overall design. Working with Pipe Center and Valvestock enables us to entrust the whole project to one supplier, which is highly attractive from the client’s point of view.”

Installation of the Pulverised Coal Injection Plant is the latest in an on-going programme of improvements at the site.

The investment by SSI UK at the plant has helped secure 1,800 direct jobs and thousands more across the company’s supply chain.