Hardox® HiAce reduces maintenance intervals from months to years in coke plant
3 min read
When the SSAB steel mill in Oxelösund, Sweden, was looking for a new heat-resistant material in its coke plant, it didn’t have to look far. The solution was right in front of it: Hardox® HiAce. SSAB developed this particular grade of Hardox® wear plate for abrasive and corrosive conditions also in high heat environments. And it doesn’t get much hotter than in a steel mill’s coke plant.
How Oxelösund benefits
- The steel is specially designed for extreme high-temp environments like coke plants
- Hardox® HiAce outperforms basalt ceramic tiles in sliding ramp, with less cracking and servicing needed
- Service life extended
- Less maintenance
- Safer work environment
When hit by 1.000°C (1,832°F) coke, Hardox® HiAce is up to the challenge
1.000 tonnes (1,102 tons) of coke per day is the average production at the mill. When the 1.000°C (1,832°F) coke comes out of the coal furnaces, it’s cooled with water and dumped on the sliding ramp – still at a very high temperature.
SSAB has so far been using 40 mm (1.575”) thick basalt ceramic tiles, 300 x 300 mm (12 x 12”), on the sliding ramp, which measures 34 by 5 m (112’ by 16’). The tiles have a lot of drawbacks, apart from being highly expensive. They are prone to cracking, resulting in maintenance stops as often as every three months with 2-3 days of downtime.
Hardox® HiAce high-temperature steel promotes safety and productivity
Having maintenance personnel working in the coke plant for several days is a health and safety issue. The properties of Hardox® HiAce promised to change this. SSAB came up with the solution to replace the ceramic tiles on the sliding ramp with steel plates that are 1,940 by 5,000 mm (76.4 by 196.9”) and 20 mm (0.787”) thick. This solution not only improves working conditions, it also allows the production to run uninterrupted.
Installing the plates of Hardox® HiAce high-temperature steel along the 34 m (112’) ramp was done during a scheduled maintenance stop. Based on experience from other steel tests, SSAB estimates that the ramp fitted with Hardox® HiAce will operate for up to 14 years without requiring any significant maintenance. This means the maintenance crew will no longer have to change tiles in this hazardous environment, allowing production to run uninterrupted for many years.
Hot wear applications where Hardox® HiAce makes a difference
In coke plants, Hardox® HiAce is a cost-effective and long-lasting solution and not just for the sliding ramp as in this case – it can also be used on quenching wagons, cooling beds, slag tippers, furnace inlet scrapers and other heat-affected equipment.
Here are other applications for Hardox® HiAce high-temperature steel:
- Dryer drums and lifter plates inside dryers in asphalt plants
- Clinker cooler plates and other liner plates in cement plants
- Blast furnace components and slag buckets and slag dump bodies in steel plants
- Liner plates, ash handling equipment and chain conveyers in power plants
- Scrapers, screeners and liner plates in foundries
- Liner plates, gypsum and clinker hammers in crushers
This is Hardox® HiAce
Hardox® HiAce is a corrosion-resistant high-heat grade with a nominal hardness of 450 HBW. Its high toughness, bendability and weldability make Hardox® HiAce an outstanding choice for a wide range of heat-exposed applications. It can withstand steel plate temperatures up to at least 400°C (752°F) for an extended time without losing its properties.
I want to know more about Hardox® wear plate – contact meWhere there’s wear, there’s Hardox®
Hardox® HiAce can take the heat
Hardox® HiAce is a high-heat grade of Hardox® wear plate that provides a cost-efficient solution for wear resistance at high temperatures up to at least 400°C (752°F).
Get Hardox® HiAce product information
Sign up for the Hardox® newsletter
Subscribe today and receive the latest information about Hardox® wear plate.
Sign up for newsletter