Butterfly Valves for Hot Strip Mill - Tata Steel, Port Talbot
Working very closely with the client and working alongside the end user’s hydraulic engineers, T-T Flow® was entrusted to design, manufacture and deliver replacement butterfly valves to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the hot strip mill at Tata Steel’s plant in Port Talbot, South Wales.
The Problem
Our client is a Fortune 500 listed specialist OEM manufacturer of custom production equipment and support services to the steel industry. Tata Steel's integrated steel product plant in West Glamorgan is one of the largest such facilities in Europe, employing around 4,000 people and producing almost 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum.
When legacy valves on the hot strip mill at the Port Talbot plant became unreliable, unable to maintain a seal and beyond economic repair, there was an urgent requirement for replacement butterfly valves to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the strip mills, which run continuously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This was a highly complex project, requiring significant experience and expertise to ensure the optimal solution was delivered to the client. To begin with, the project was frustrated by non-standard face-to-face dimensions, non-standard flange drilling and a very short delivery window as replacements were needed for a period of planned maintenance to avoid shutting the plant down. In addition, the valves were located either side of four critical high-capacity split case pumps within the pump house, which feed the cooling systems for the run-out roller tables.
The Solution
T-T Flow® was engaged to design, manufacture and deliver replacement valves within budget and timeframe, working very closely with, and supporting, our client alongside hydraulic engineers from the end-user to ensure product compliance and rigorous hydraulic conditions were met.
With extensive experience and a comprehensive understanding of the project’s requirements and complexities, T-T delivered eight DN600 PN6 double-flanged, double-eccentric butterfly valves with handwheel operated reduction spur gearboxes. The advantage of a double eccentric principle is that it reduces operating effort (torque), ensuring longevity by offsetting slightly the disc axis to the body axis.
T-T Flow® are professionals in valve design, valve manufacture and distribution of a range of engineered valves and associated ancillary equipment to an array of industries. For bespoke advice, please call our expert team on 01630 647200.