TPi July 2008

developments products &

New grinding machine installed Engineering support organisation Corus Northern Engineering Services (CNES), UK, has built and installed a large grinding machine for Wyman-Gordon Ltd, a manufacturer of seamless pipes for the offshore oil, gas and power generation industry based in Livingston, Scotland. The new grinding machine, which measures 19m in length by 2.5m wide and 4.5m high, weighs approximately 70 tonnes and has a 16m travel for the grinding heads. The machine is part of a significant capital investment expansion project at the company’s Livingston site, and will supplement the company’s original grinding machine (which is more than 40 years old), to help to reduce lead times for process pipe.

Flat rolled and spiral welded US Steel Košice sro, a subsidiary of USS Corporation, is a producer of flat rolled products with an annual production capability of 4.7 million tons. The company produces a wide assortment of hot rolled, cold rolled and coated sheets designated for various industries. In addition to flat rolled products, the company produces spiral welded pipes using structural and micro-alloyed hot rolled sheets.

US Steel Košice produces spiral S S welded pipes, in addition to flat rolled products

The dimensional range varies in diameters from 406mm to 1,420mm, with wall

thickness from 5mm to 14.2mm and lengths from 8 to 18m. The company has been producing spiral welded pipes since 1960. Its pipes have been used in major projects, such as the world largest oil pipeline, ‘Druzhba’, and gas pipeline ‘Bratstvo’. Over 23,800km (14,800 miles) of pipes have been produced, representing 3.352 million tons supplied to almost all European countries and former Soviet Union countries. The company takes advantage of its strategic location in the heart of the continent for exporting its products to many European countries and beyond. The pipe mill produces approximately 90,000 tons per year. These pipes are used mainly for gas distribution lines, crude oil and water distribution lines, for district heating and cooling systems and for civil engineering and structural purposes. All pipes are produced in conformity with the internationally recognised standards API, EN and DIN. The entire production process is continuously monitored, the pipe surface and welds are consistently controlled by series of non-destructive tests, and all results are archived.

US Steel Košice sro – Slovak Republic schytilova@sk.uss.com • www.usske.sk

chamber at the plant, and has just completed commissioning.

aircraft, as well as manifolds, sphere tees, valve bodies and seamless pipes for the offshore oil and gas industries. Themajority of the newmachine (in terms of weight) is in the rails and travelling beam, which had to be lifted in one piece, requiring the use of heavy-duty lifting gear. Chris Morris, senior plant engineer at Wyman-Gordon, commented, “CNES handled the job extremely well and there were few problems during the project. After visiting the Scunthorpe workshop, we were very confident that CNES could handle the work. The workshop had a very professional feel to it, was organised and clean, the approach and organisation were excellent and material was flowing through the workshop.” CNES received the contract to build the new machine in May 2007. The machine was built and ready to ship in November, and delivery and installation – also undertaken by CNES – took place in December. The grinding machine has since been placed inside an acoustic

CNES, part of the Corus Group Plc, uses a ‘toolbox’ of techniques to help customers of all sizes and from various industry sectors maintain their output, efficiency and profitability, by providing a detailed and accurate assessment of their plant assets. The company uses a range of non-intrusive techniques, including acoustic monitoring, thermographic imaging, vibration monitoring, laser alignment, lubricant technology and remote visual inspection. CNES also offers structural design, project management, training, electrical and process control, machining, fitting and weld reclamation services. Corus Northern Engineering Services – UK cnes@corusgroup.com www.corusnes.com

The machine will be used to grind the outside diameter of seamless pipes, which vary in length from 5m to 12m, with diameters from 200mm to 1,200mm (as long as the weight does not exceed 15 tonnes). The grinding machine grinds the outside casing to give a smooth, flat finish to the pipe. Wyman-Gordon manufactures a range of Class 1 rotating parts for military, civil and industrial gas turbine applications. These products include gas turbine engine shafts, structural and landing gear forgings for military and civil Wyman-Gordon’s new grinding machine S S will help reduce lead times for the company’s process pipe

Wyman-Gordon Ltd – UK www.wyman-gordon.com

27

www.read-tpi.com

July 2008 Tube Products International