Tension control takes off in Poland

PKN Orlen is now using RotaBolt tension control systems on seven heat exchangers, with more planned this year.

Just over three years ago, the concept of applying tension control technology to achieve bolted joint integrity was unheard of in Poland.

Today, RotaBolt's tension control systems are being successfully used in power plants, refineries, chemical processing plants, steel production and in general industry.

The technology has made significant inroads in situations where pressure, vibration and fatigue have been causing bolted joint failure over many years.

"Our breakthrough came when a major refinery owned by Poland's largest petrol company became the first customer, using RotaBolt fasteners to cure an issue on a heat exchanger", said Tomasz Rogowski from BP Techem, the official distributor for the James Walker Group in Poland.

"We had begun promoting the benefits of Rotabolt tension control in 2005 and we found that wherever we went there was a universal openness and willingness to try the technology".

The same refinery - PKN Orlen - is now using tension control on seven heat exchangers, with more planned this year.

Following the refinery application, the next came in chemical processing.

A large chemical plant in the south east of the country - ZA Pulawy - was successful in curing a repeated problem on a heat exchanger.

TThe company is usingtension control systems at its ammonia plant, on heat exchanger systems as well as on high-integrity flanges.

One of the country's largest producers of nitrogen fertilisers and plastics was the next to benefit from tension control, fitting RotaBolts to a high-capacity heat exchanger which had caused many shutdowns at its melamine plant.

The plant has been running at full capacity, without shutdown, since the technology was installed.

It wasn't long before the benefits of joint integrity in chemical processing began to open doors in other sectors.

In power generation, one of the biggest coal power stations in the country, along with one of Europe's largest combined heat and power plants, took up the technology.

Opole, a power plant in the south west had been experiencing problems with flanges on a turbine.

In 2005 it fitted the turbine out with RotaBolts.

More high-integrity flanges followed, including high-pressure water valves.

The Siekierki combined heat and power plant close to Warsawis using the RotaBolt tension control on three of the plants main flanges.

The plant, which produces heat for Warsaw, as well as electricity for the national network, is expected to extend the usage during shutdown later this year.

The successful track record in chemical processing and power generation has also led to the technology making inroads into steel production, with the world's largest steel producer scheduled to fit RotaBolt technology at four of its Polish plants during 2008.

Elsewhere in general industry, tension control has recently been successfully used to cure vibration loosening problems on electrical motors, as well as integrity issues on critical shut-off valves in a major paper production plant.

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