60 TONS FOR STEEL PLANT The largest compensators in the history of Belman has just been designed, manufactured and dispatched with special transport and police escort. The compensators in question are 2 compensators of respectively 20 and 40 tons for at steel plant.
60 tons in the height of 100 meters The 40 tons heavy compensator, which is 10 meters long and 3 meter in diameter is together with the 3,5 meters long, 20 tons heavy compensator of 3 meter in diameter installed in the height of 100 meters. This height is a result of the compensators being installed in a fall-pipe. When the steel is melted in the blast furnace different kinds of gasses and smoke are released, also named blast furnace gas. This 300ºC hot gas is purified in a special depollution system, that is installed in connection with the blast furnace.
The design Installing a compensator in a pipeline corresponds to cutting the pipeline. When doing so many forces are released. In this case 250 tons of forces are released. One angular compensator and one universal compensator (working as a double angular compensator) with hinges were therefore the solution. They are placed in a change of direction in the run of the pipeline and are installed as a three-hinge system. In that way optimum absorption of the two plane movements are ensured. The hinges contribute that the compensators and the movements are guided and resist the influence of wind and momentum. Beyond that the hinges bring stability into the pipeline. The height in itself reduce the extent of fixation.
Special demands The bellows of both compensators are made of the corrosion resistant Inconel 625. The media contains abrasive particles, which is why the inner sleeve is made from the abrasion-resistant steel Hardox 400. Welding ends, intermediate pipe and hinges are made from high-strength steel P355NH, that also are resistant towards high temperatures. These materials cost approximately 30-40% more than more ordinary kinds of steel, but was necessary and also a customer requirement. The materials and the calculation norm AD 2000 HP0 made great demands on Belman and our suppliers. This national German norm AD2000 HP0 is one of the most restrictive norms, which means tightened demands for all the processes from purchase to final inspection. This leaves out some suppliers.
Special transport Because of the size and the weight of the compensators a special transport and a complicated route to the steel plant was a necessity. This require extra planning, but in return this ensures that the compensators arrive on time. An annual production of many millions tons of crude steel made great demands on the plant, and steel plants regularly have replacement- and modernization projects. Compensators are termed wearing parts and the service life is typically 20-30 years. The mentioned compensators are supplied for an older existing blast furnace, which is why a replacement is a necessity. Every day a blast furnace is down it costs several million Euros, and therefore down-time is meticulously planned. The replacement must for that reason happen quickly and smoothly. As a result of that it is very important that the supplied components are as specified and delivered on time.
Customized solutions The major part of compensators dispatched from Belman are customized solutions, which means that Belman has much know-how on special and customized designs. Especially steel plants need customized solutions every time, because it often is large dimensions and/or projects with special demands.
