BUTTING received the order from Fluor Corporation, one of the world’s largest EPC companies (EPC = Engineering Procurement Construction). In the only large-scale refinery in South Africa near Durban, various pipelines and components will be removed and replaced during a temporary shutdown of the plant in May 2017. This is intended to optimise the smooth process flow within the refinery and to guarantee technical security in the future.
In this context, BUTTING was initially given the order to produce clad pipes to be built into one of the refinery furnaces as process pipes. The pipes were produced in the material combinations 16Mo3 / 317L and 316L. This selection of materials was made particularly because of the enormous temperatures in the furnaces, and at the same time because the medium to be transported requires a very high degree of corrosion resistance. The sizes of the pipes ranged from outer diameters of 219.1 mm to 609.6 mm. Specifically, the clad pipes amounted to 16 pipelines branching off from one main ring line. The production drawing was prepared directly by BUTTING according to the customer’s instructions. Thus the family company has taken on a significant part of the detailed work. In mid-December 2016, the process pipes were shipped in containers from Bremerhaven to Durban.
BUTTING’s quality and expertise led the customer in the summer of 2016 to extend the original order for outlet pipes to include the production of a new main ring pipe. During the shutdown of the refinery in May 2017, this too is to be replaced along with the process pipes. The additional order represented a special challenge for BUTTING. On the one hand the pipes were an impressive size, with an inner diameter of 2 400 mm. On the other hand, the production time of five months was very short – with a planned completion date of April 2017. The raw materials and fittings had to be procured promptly. The large pipes also had to be produced with wall thicknesses of no less than (15.0 + 3.0) mm or (19.0 + 3.0) mm, which required craft skills and know-how.
The logistics of the shipment also proved difficult. Thus it was necessary to work out how the large pipe parts could be transported from Knesebeck in Germany to Durban in South Africa. Consultations between the customer and BUTTING led to one special feature: the pipes for the main ring line were flown to South Africa in an Antonov freight plane, one of the largest planes in the world.
The total South African order amounted to more than 100 tons of clad pipes. Marcel Bartels, Head of Sales Spools & plant construction, said: “This extraordinary shipment of the main ring line vividly reflects BUTTING’s potential. We are much more than just a pipe manufacturer. Our know-how and our possibilities go far beyond the simple pipe. We can also support our customers in exceptional projects and are able to incorporate our constructive and technical skills and thus offer an overall package of the highest quality.”
BUTTING – Progress by Tradition