BATEMAN rebuilds Transalloys No. 3 Furnace in 105 days

Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation commissioned its Transalloys Furnace No. 3 at Witbank, South Africa in October 2005, following a successful BATEMAN mini-rebuild that took just 105 days.

The lump sum turnkey (LSTK) contract awarded to BATEMAN to rebuild the furnace included the supply of a new furnace foundation, shell and refractory lining, shell hearth-cooling system, operator tapping platform and related tapping equipment, such as a rail-mounted clay gun and tap drill arrangement and two control stations. A fume-extraction system was installed to manage fumes generated during the tapping process, in compliance with Transalloys' overall commitment to environmental conservation. In addition, the existing electrode-clamping device was replaced with the more advanced BATEMAN model.

In the rebuild, the existing rotary furnace was replaced with a stationary, dual tap-hole furnace, and radial cooling system. The latter is able to provide an average air flow of 15 m/s, thereby efficiently cooling the furnace base. The entire tapping floor was rebuilt and two new tapping launders fitted.

The BATEMAN electrode slipping / clamping device was conveniently adapted to operate within the envelope of the replaced slipping device, with only minor structural modification to the support structures of the main building. The device was also modified to accommodate selected components of the replaced slipping device, saving on both time and cost. The adaptability of the clamping device has proved to be a key element in the successful installation of the device.

Installation was constrained by existing major building structural steelwork, as well as the lack of available work space. However, despite the constraints and extremely tight schedule, Bateman still managed to successfully complete the project within 105 days.

For further information, please contact:

George Farmer, Project Manager, on +27-11-899-9111 or
Shaun Dunne (Mechanical Engineer) on +27-11-899-2171 or
e-mail acfurnaces@BatemanEngineering.com.