Babcock has been awarded a five-year contract to supply high-pressure boiler tubing to a power station as part of future planned maintenance that will be undertaken at the station.
For many people, tubing may not be the first thing that comes to mind as an essential element of the thermal power generation process. However, it is a critical component of steam generation plants that rely on steam boilers which, in a large plant, incorporate hundreds of kilometres of tubing to create power.
Alton Naidoo, General Manager - Business Development at Babcock.
Alton Naidoo, General Manager - Business Development at Babcock, explains that boiler tubes carry the superheated steam that is used to feed a series of turbines. The superheated steam is generated by applying thermal energy to the tubes, which contain water, thus changing the phase of the water to produce very high-temperature and high-pressure steam in the tubes.
“Boiler tubing is one of the critical aspects in ensuring power station availability and reliability. The tubes have to withstand immense cyclical changes in operational conditions, and if one of them fails, it brings down the entire unit,” says Naidoo. “Critically, the tubing has to be specified correctly and supplied to a high integrity to keep tube leaks and boiler failures to the minimum.”
Babcock has over 130 years’ experience in steam generation and industrial plants and is the original designer of many steam boilers in South Africa and further afield in Africa; the company has one of the largest boiler installation footprints on the continent. Babcock specialises in the front-end design of steam generation plant and associated equipment, and provides safe, effective solutions over the life cycle of power and industrial plants, from design and build, through operations and maintenance, to decommissioning and remediation. The company focuses on the feasibility of new-build options, performance upgrades, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.
Correct specifications and high integrity are critical factors in boiler tubing which has to withstand huge cyclical changes in operating conditions.
Naidoo says that as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Babcock has embarked on a drive encouraging industry to return to the design base to help solve customers’ challenges. “It is critical to have a fundamental understanding of OEM designs and the design intent to be able to address the issues that our customers face,” says Naidoo.
Babcock uses its expertise as an OEM to ensure that boiler tubing is specified correctly according to the required design codes and norms and the detailed specifications are well controlled for the end product that is delivered.
“Because of the high temperatures and pressures it is subjected to, specialised material is required for the tubing with specific certifications according to the relevant EN and ASME codes,” Naidoo says. “This type of high-alloy material is not commonly available in South Africa and is generally sourced offshore. While it can be obtained from local stockists, there are limitations in terms of availability and quality.”
He says Babcock sources the tubing directly from an offshore tube mill that produces it according to its customers’ unique and regulatory requirements. This allows for more specifications and tolerances according to the EN and ASME standards to be accommodated, as well as customised sizing, a high level of quality control, and a better pricing structure. Furthermore, it enables Babcock to help customers with the planning and scheduling of outages by providing the material in time.
“Through our longstanding partnerships with our suppliers, we can secure availability and ensure predictable lead times for these critical long-lead items.”
He adds that the company’s customers are realising that long-lead items need a specific strategy to secure availability and better pricing, and that it is possible to have tubing specified to meet their needs and maintenance plans, instead of relying on availability from a stockist.
Naidoo points out that tubing is not used only in power generation and has applications in any industry where high quality tubing is required, including the petrochemical, paper and pulp, sugar and mining industries. Babcock has OEM status in the sugar and paper industries, where the company has an installed base.
“With its long experience, Babcock can provide competitive tubing offers, strategic planning for critical long-lead items, and specialised OEM knowledge to help customers across a range of sectors operate more effectively,” Naidoo says.
For more information visit: www.babcock.co.za
