12-Nov-2009
Summary
Newsletter 2nd edition: Utilities - Green Energy & Clean Solutions - Mining - Petroleum & Gas
Content
Dear Reader,
Energy and mining markets are clearly growing in importance. That is why Bekaert, too, is fully committed to developing innovative technologies and solutions that will enable customers in various energy sectors to extract, transmit, produce, and distribute energy and other resources in an efficient and safe way.
Each issue of this newsletter covers a selection of products and solutions that Bekaert provides. Consider it an invitation to contact us at any time with any questions you may have.
Powering your performance
Corrosion is probably the worst enemy of durable goods and infrastructure. It is perceived as the primary cause of break-down, malfunction and premature failure of components and materials. That is why companies that operate in the marine sector, along with energy transmission system operators and others, are looking for the most efficient and cost-effective corrosion prevention methods. With its new Bezinal®3000 coating Bekaert offers them a solution with superior corrosion resistance.
Renewing your energy
‘The’ challenge of the solar electricity industry is to narrow the affordability gap with the grid power industry. Manufacturing costs must decline and efficiencies must rise. At the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (PVSEC) Bekaert demonstrated a range of dedicated PV products to help its customers reach grid parity.
Digging into innovation
Find out how Codelco, the largest copper producing company in the world, considerably reduced install time with Bekaert’s rock support system for the El Teniente Mine in Chile.
Fueling your business
In offshore oil fields throughout the world, the seawater injection method is used to increase pressure and stimulate oil recovery from the reservoir. This injection water needs to be sulfate-free in order to avoid plugging the porous formations and thus inhibiting the flow of oil. This is where Bekaert comes in, with its desalination pressure vessels…
Beating corrosion with Bezinal®3000
Corrosion is inevitable and limits the wear life of metals and coatings. This is why it is essential to know and to predict, through exhaustive testing, the consequences of that corrosion and to select the right products for each and every application.
Today, every Bekaert product is or has been tested by the corrosion lab in the Bekaert technology center to measure its corrosion resistance. Through exposition and electrochemical techniques, lab technicians test the influence of corrosion on the quality and wear life of the product in different work environments. Besides the standard tests – the salt spray test, the humidity test and the Kesternich test – this lab also carries out a great many outdoor tests, in which the product is tested in its final work environment. It’s the best way of analyzing corrosion on the basis of all three parameters: product, environment and application.
The protection of steel against corrosion has traditionally been achieved by galvanizing the steel through deposition of a 100% zinc layer. Zinc provides a barrier to corrosion in most environments. Specific conditions however, such as acidity, industrial emissions, special water treatment, use of fertilizers, chemical pollution, and so on, accelerate the corrosion process. In such cases the protection offered by traditional heavily galvanized coatings is not sufficient to maintain effective corrosion protection for longer periods or to guarantee a long lifetime for the steel product concerned. That is why Bekaert, drawing from its expertise in coating technology, has developed advanced coatings with superior corrosion resistance.
After introducing Bezinal® and Bezinal®2000 to the market, Bekaert has now launched a third generation advanced zinc/aluminumcoating: Bezinal®3000. Salt spray tests (hours exposure before appearance of 5% dark brown rust (DBR)) indicate that Bezinal®3000 scores three times better than first generation Bezinal® and even ten times better than zinc.
Salt spray performance
(hours exposure before appearance of 5% dark brown rust (DBR))
Redrawn wires Bezinal®3000 Final coated wires Bezinal®3000
(class B according to EN-10244-2) (class A according to EN-10244-2)
This superior corrosion resistance and hence longer lifetime make Bezinal®3000 intrinsically suitable for marine environments and applications such as spiral strands for offshore and deepwater mooring; fishing ropes; subsea power & telecom cables, and electro-mechanical cables such as for ROVs and tow leaders. Energy transmission system operators too can take advantage of Bezinal®3000 to protect the steel cores of conductors used in overhead power lines. For underground mines – another specific corrosive environment – the use of Bezinal®3000 results in outperforming mining rope endurance.
Any questions, remarks or inquiries? Please feel free to contact us
Related products & applications in Utilities & Energy on Bekaert.com
Bekaert demonstrates its PV market solutions at PVSEC in Hamburg
Solar energy is viewed by many as one of the best solutions to global warming. Catering to this trend, Bekaert 
has been a pioneer in offering dedicated solutions for the photovoltaic (PV) market. This complete range of solutions was demonstrated at the 2009 edition of the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (PVSEC) which took place in late September in Hamburg. The European PVSEC is widely recognized as the world’s largest business-to-business and business-to-science event for the specialized PV solar sector. At this event Bekaert introduced its newest solutions to the PV solar cell market, including the AZO rotatable sputter target.
Establishing new standards for the PV industry with dedicated sputter targets and sputter hardware
The new AZO rotatable target is the latest member of Bekaert’s extensive range of rotatable sputter targets with materials for the deposition of TCO (Transparent Conductive Oxide) layers used in photovoltaic cells. TCO layers are essential building blocks for all thin film PV applications, where optical transmission and electrical conductivity are required simultaneously.
Our rotatable AZO target, made via thermal spraying, is a one-piece target which creates high value for photovoltaic customers as it ensures a more stable process and allows higher power rates. This unique one-piece AZO target is a technological breakthrough because until today only targets consisting of AZO segments bonded onto a backing tube have been available. These segmented AZO targets lead to higher arcing at moderate applicable power levels. By using our one piece AZO target, higher power levels at acceptable arc levels can be used, which immediately leads to a reduction of the cost-of-ownership for PV cell manufacturers.
The introduction of the new AZO target has been a success. Many customers, ranging from glass groups developing TCO, cover glass for PV cell manufacturers, and major original equipment manufacturers showed great interest in testing and qualifying this new Bekaert product.
Any questions, remarks or inquiries? Please feel free to contact us
Related products & applications in renewables and cleantech
Going underground with Codelco: Bekaert Technology at the world’s largest underground mine
The El Teniente mine, located at 80 km south of Santiago, is owned by Codelco, the largest copper producing company in the world. The mine started operation in 1904 and has 2 400 km of underground drifts. It produces more than 400 000 tons a year of fine copper composed of fire refined ingots and copper cathodes.
Driving up the speed of mesh installing
This mine was the first to use chain link mesh technology. Crucial in the construction of tunnels, the rock support system provides safety at mining operations. This requires mesh support to be installed, which is the most time-consuming activity within the full tunnel construction process. Having experienced several operational and technical delays, Codelco called on Inchalam, Bekaert’s Chilean joint venture operation, to develop a rock support system that was lightweight and quick to install.
To meet this need Inchalam designed MFI 3500. The product stands out from traditional mesh by being lighter, which results in faster installation. Due to its higher load-carrying capacity, MFI 3500 also offers increased security for miners, equipment and production. Its optimal square opening size and flatness require less shotcrete usage, which results in cost-savings. It was used successfully in the Teniente mine and today there are plans to extend its use to more than 30 underground operating mines in Chile. Inchalam is also investigating additional applications such as for open pit mines and slope stability roads.
New trends in underground mining
One new trend is the simplification of the mine development process by reducing mining steps with the use of continuous mining machines. This method has been successfully used in underground coal mines. Another trend in developing tunnels for in-depth mines is the utilization of automatic mesh-placement equipment. This improves tunnel development under high stress levels with the significant advantage of faster installation. For this reason Bekaert is currently looking into automating the process of installing MFI 3500.
A specialized mining unit for total solutions
In order to better serve the mining industry, a special mining unit was created at Bekaert’s operations in both Chile and Peru, which brings together technology-based materials built to international quality standards (split sets, mesh, fibers, rods, etc.), mining professionals (specialists in geomechanics, explosives, operations, etc.) and consultants such as academic professors specialized in geomechanics, seismic experts, and Bekaert technologists. Having such a staff of professionals enables us to offer comprehensive solutions, including technical assistance and training at the mine for end users.
Any questions, remarks or inquiries? Please feel free to contact us
Related products & applications in mining
Pressure vessels: maximizing output from our natural resources
Offshore oil production requires the use of water for the recovery of crude (unrefined petroleum). In order to release the oil from the porous stone layer at the bottom of the sea, water is injected into the oil-containing rock layer. If pure seawater were injected into the oil well, the pores of the rocky soil where the oil is present would become instantly plugged, which would make the well useless.
Oil platforms are therefore equipped with seawater filtration systems which remove sulfates from seawater by a process called ‘reverse osmosis’. Specific membranes are housed in pressure vessels for this purpose. This process is quite critical as crude naturally contains substances which react with sulfates to produce insoluble salts that can plug both the oil reservoir or well and equipment. This equipment also produces potable water for the crew on the oil platform. Bekaert makes pressure housing for these applications.
As these water filtration plants are heavy and consume considerable space on the drilling platform, oil production companies are looking for more compact installations. Bekaert has thus teamed up with original equipment manufacturers in order to develop a specific type of membrane pressure vessel that is space-, weight-, and energy-saving. This type of configuration could reduce the plant area by up to 35%, which is a considerable asset for oil platforms that require sulfate removal systems.
Any questions, remarks or inquiries? Please feel free to contact us
Related products & applications in Petroleum & Gas
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