TPT May 2011

I ndustry N ews

Modernisation at Volzhsky Trubny Zavod Production output doubled

THE Russian steelworks, Volzhsky Trubny Zavod (VTZ), has significantly strengthened its competitiveness thanks to a major modernisation by SMS Meer, SMS Siemag and SMS Innse. The production capacity of the works is now 630,000 tons of tubes per year, and hence twice the capacity prior to the modernisation. While SMS Siemag was replacing the four-strand continuous round caster in the steelworks, SMS Meer and SMS Innse took care of themodification of the 16¾"-Multistand Pipe Mill (MPM). These measures resulted in shorter cycle times of the rolling line and the use of higher billet weights, and hence to a significant improvement in productivity. The piercing process was changed over to a process with round instead of square billets. A crucial advantage of this is the saving of a whole forming step and minimum eccentricities in the finished product. Furthermore, modern transport facilities ensure that the rolled stock passes rapidly through the mill. Tool wear is reduced, less problems occur during rolling – and all this has a positive impact on the productivity. With the new MPM process it is now possible to insert the mandrel bar in-line. This results in a shorter contact time between shell and mandrel bar, and hence in a smaller temperature loss in the rolled stock. SMS Meer has also modernised the automation and measurement technology. Among other things the team replaced the operator panels in the control rooms and upgraded the sensors. A new measuring system records the diameter, wall thickness, length and temperature of the hot finished tube. The wall thickness is measured online using the LASUS ® (Laser-Ultrasonic) measuring system developed by SMS Meer. Expansion of onshore China plant TECHNIP has been awarded a services contract by BP Zhuhai Chemical Company Limited, a joint venture of BP and Zhuhai Port Co Ltd, for the expansion of the Zhuhai 2 Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA)

Integrated into a quality assurance system (QAS), this enables the product quality to be monitored and the mill settings to be adapted. With the measures undertaken, OAO Volzhsky Pipe Plant has been able to strengthen its leading position among the tube manufacturers in Russia.

The company now has the world’s most modern MPM plant in this size range on the international market.

SMS Siemag – Germany Fax: +49 211 8817 74127 Website: www.sms-siemag.com

The capacity since the installation of the SMS Meer works has risen to 630,000 tons

plant at their site in Guangdong Province, China. This execution contract will be developed by an integrated Technip- client team. The expansion of the plant represents an incremental capacity of 200,000 tons per year and will bring the total capacity of the Zhuhai 2 unit to 1,100,000 tons per year. It will employ BP’s latest technology and is expected to come on stream during quarter one of 2012 to meet China’s growing demand for PTA. PTA has the form of a white and crystalline powder primarily applied as

raw material in the production of polyester fibres and plastic materials. Technip’s operating centre in Rome, Italy, will execute the contract, which falls within the framework of the on-going alliance between BP and Technip for PTA and follows Technip’s completion of the original Zhuhai 2 unit and of the subject expansion front end engineering design. Technip – Italy Fax: +39 06 655 14 02 Website: www.technip.com

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M ay 2011

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