TPT September 2013

Article

OTO SpA

Tube mills for API products By OTO SpA, Boretto (RE), Italy

The design for the 20" and 24" is completed and ready to be launched on to the market. It is very important to underline that OTO is designing the new cages with an innovative frontal tool changeover system that is specially designed for sizes up to 20" but in the future will also be available starting from 8". The new family of large mills is available with conventional forming and cage forming. All the standard parts of the mills such as decoiler, coil car, shear and end welder, strip accumulator, edge milling machine driven and idle stands, cage forming, welding box, cut-off and mill transmission are designed for the most demanding requirements for industrial application where reliability and repeatability of process are of the utmost importance. The main customers for API products are: PYTCO (Mexico), Borusan (USA), Welded Tube of Canada, Tubes Delta Tube (Canada), Toscelik (Turkey), Prolamsa/Kuadrum (USA), Perfiles Y Herraies (Mexico), Northwest Pipe (USA), IPSCO (USA), Marcegaglia (Italy – mill designed for structural but for API too). Typical features/components of an API mill are: material tracking system that makes it possible to track each coil loaded on the mill with the main data such as heat number, manufacturer name, steel type, mechanical properties and chemical composition. This data is normally associated with each coil, which is identified by a bar code on a tag attached to the outer surface of the coil. The coil number, once the coil is loaded on the mill, is entered in the control system by either typing the coil identification code on the PC keyboard at the entry section or by a handheld barcode scanner. Once the coil is loaded on the control system it is tracked through the entry section and accumulator. In the mill the coil is divided into the single tubes; the control system assigns a unique number to each tube (which is printed on the tube at the exit end of cut-off for visual tracking). All the main process parameters and results of online inspection are then associated to each tube for a complete record of all production details. Different methods are available to track the butt weld, and the most common are: punching a hole near the butt weld and detecting it with special laser photocells at the entry of mill; painting the butt weld with fluorescent paint and detecting it at the entry of the mill with a special camera; or using a specific NDT probe to detect the discontinuity of the butt weld. OTO is able to provide systems to collect, associate the material and process data to each coil/tube and make the

AS a result of the need for new pipelines and the discovery of new oil fields, the demand for API tubes in the world is growing and, together with the fact that a certified tube for petroleum applications is needed (API allows the use of ERW process for most of the applications), means that it is one of the highest value products in the tubing industry, results into an increased demand for ERW tube mills. OTO Mills is a leading company able to satisfy the market with new entire turn-key plants (in cooperation with world leading manufacturers of finishing lines and non-destructive control equipment) or can supply manufacturers with parts to retrofit existing mills to increase production capability both in terms of tonnage and/or production range (tube size, thickness, increased mechanical properties of incoming materials).

OTO Mills has capability and references for the following mill sizes:

OD

max wall thickness

MILL OTO 607HQ MILL OTO 897HQ MILL OTO 1278

19.0 – 60.3mm 21.0 – 88.9mm 48.3 – 127.0mm

7mm 7mm 8mm

MILL OTO 16810 (6 5 / 8

") 60.3 – 168.3mm

10mm

(Note that the same 6 5 / 8

" mill can be supplied in the version

for 7" and 8 5 / 8 ") with the same max thickness capability. All the above mills are of the conventional type with breakdown stands and replacement of rolls by removing the outer stand. Quick changeover is with rafted stands. The new family of large ETC type mills with changeover of cartridges (bearing housing with shafts and side rolls as single assembly are replaced from the top of the stand) cover the following range:

OD

max wall thickness

MILL OTO 24513 MILL OTO 24516 MILL OTO 27313 MILL OTO 27316 MILL OTO 34613 MILL OTO 34616 MILL OTO 40613 MILL OTO 40616

88.9 – 244.5mm 88.9 – 244.5mm 101.4 – 273.1mm 101.4 – 273.1mm 114.3 – 346.1mm 114.3 – 346.1mm 139.3 – 406.4mm 139.3 – 406.4mm

13mm 16mm 13mm 16mm 13mm 16mm 13mm 16mm

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September 2013