TPT September 2007

T ube M ills: R olling & F orming M ethods

Before the pipes are ready, they pass through additional processing stations and are subjected to various hydrostatic and non-destructive tests. These tests ensure the pipes are entirely safe and suitable for use as oil and gas pipelines.

‘Two-stage process’ for spirally welded large-diameter pipe

The new pipe mill will be technologically supported by both Europipe GmbH and Salzgitter Großrohre GmbH, a member of

W + K IndustrieTechnik GmbH & Co KG, Germany, has received a large-scale order for a tube mill and related equipment from Berg Spiral Pipe Corp, USA. The supplied machinery and equipment will be used to manufacture spirally welded large-diameter pipes. Berg Spiral Pipe Corp, a newly founded subsidiary of Berg Steel Pipe Corp, manufactures longitudinally welded large- diameter pipes in lengths of up to 12m according to the three-roller bending process. Berg Steel Pipe Corp is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Europipe GmbH, one of the world’s leading companies in the steel pipe sector. Europipe manufactures over one million tonnes of fabricated pipes per year (around 3,000km) in the diameter range of 500-1,500mm. The machinery supplied by W + K will produce steel pipes in a diameter of 600- 1,500mm, which will be used to transport oil and gas. Following installation in early 2008, Berg is expected to have the capability to manufacture around 200,000t of high-quality spiral pipes per year.

the Europipe group of companies. The two-stage fabrication process technology applied by W + K IndustrieTechnik was first developed at Hoesch (Germany) and Salzgitter in the 1970s. According to the two- stage process, spiral pipes are based on so- called coils (ie sheet strips wound up into steel rolls with weights of up to 45t). In a first step, they are formed into a pipe

› Spiral pipe production on two submerged arc final welding stands

The new spiral pipe mill of the Europipe group is claimed to be the first in the USA to apply this two-stage process for the manufacture of quality pipes. Over its 10 years in operation, W + K IndustrieTechnik has constantly improved its spiral pipe manufacturing machines and installations. Approximately 50 people are employed at the company’s Dortmund location. Since 2005, W + K has been a partner of the Graebener Group, supplier of hydraulics, electrics/electronics and mechanical engineering. W + K IndustrieTechnik GmbH & Co KG – Germany Fax : +49 231 792 2119

and then tack-welded. The subsequent final welding of the pipes is carried out on three welding stands arranged in parallel using the submerged-arc multi-wire welding process for the pipe inside and outside welding.

fi Part of the spiral pipe forming and tack-welding machine

Email : info@wk-industries.com Website : www.wk-industries.com

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S eptember /O ctober 2007