When your company processes involve abrasive materials, dealing with equipment wear and replacement is part of the job. It’s costly and disruptive, but it’s a reality in many environments.
With the right materials in your piping system, you might be able to reduce the time, money, and effort you spend on maintaining and replacing parts. That’s been the experience of Phoenix Services, a slag processing company for whom abrasive wear and tear seemed like a necessary evil, until they sought a solution from The Macomb Group.
Phoenix has worked with The Macomb Group for two years, relying on us to supply all their PVF needs.
But they have a nagging problem. The slurry system that transports the slag moves the highly abrasive mineral ore through a piping system.
The real headache was a 90-degree elbow joint, which was taking such a hit from the slurry it had to be replaced twice a year, involving considerable cost and downtime. Phoenix asked The Macomb Group for help with reducing the wear and tear.
Less wear and tear
Selena Carli, General Manager of The Macomb Group’s Carrollton Division, explains, “The Plant Manager, Shane Babbitt, came to me asking if we could provide an abrasive-resistant, lined, 90-degree, long-radius elbow to put in one of their slurry lines because the elbow constantly wore out, requiring continual maintenance and replacement.”
Selena quickly hit on the solution: Belzona , a two-part, epoxy-based composite coating that had already produced impressive results elsewhere.
The product, which incorporates abrasive-resistant ceramic aggregates, can be custom developed to meet specific needs and conditions. It creates a smooth lining that allows particles to bounce off the surface instead of creating wear.
“There are many applications,” Selena adds. “But as long as we know upfront all of the wear elements — media, temperature, pressure, size, and application — we can determine what type of product should be used to increase the wear of the pipe, valve, and so on.”
In this case, there was an additional challenge — a really short lead time to fit into the limited timeframe of the plant’s scheduled maintenance shutdown.
48-hour challenge
“They needed this elbow in 24-48 hours,” says Selena. “I started making calls to find out who could line a 6-inch, 90-degree elbow with an abrasive resistance coating. Other competitors of Belzona products were giving months of lead time, but when I talked to Jim Rumford, with Rumford Industrial Group out of Dayton, Ohio, he said, ‘Get me the elbow and we will do it!’
“We had the 90-degree elbow transferred to his facility the next day,” Selena says. “His group was able to coat the inside wear area with ceramic tile and he drove it down here himself the very next day.”
Meeting that deadline was just the start of a great success story. Phoenix couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
“The plant manager wasn’t sure what the ceramic tile would do for the life of this elbow. He was extremely surprised and very happy that after a year and a half, it looks like it has never been used!” Selena says.
That’s the difference between being a supplier and a partner. A true partner doesn’t just replace parts over and over, but will dig deeper to find an effective solution to the problems you face.
Looking for options that will reduce your maintenance costs? We can help you find solutions that bring long-term value. Contact the experts at The Macomb Group by email at info@macombgroup.com or by phone at 888-756-4110. For a complete list of The Macomb Group Locations and Numbers, visit our website .
