Outokumpu

Energy
Liquid tanks get economical duplex overhaul

In a move to reduce material weight and find a more economical option for 20 brand new fermentation tanks, Cital of Italy has opted for Outokumpu’s duplex LDX 2101® grade.

The vision

Cital wanted to find a way that they could affordably reduce the weight of the fermentation tanks. They were also looking for a material that would offer them other cost saving benefits.


The solution

The company chose to use Outokumpu’s proprietary lean-duplex grade LDX 2101® for the 20 new fermentation tanks built for the UK bioethanol producer, Vivergo Fuels Limited.

The use of the material will mean less working hours because of the reduced thicknesses which require less welding on the fermentation tanks. And there are also consequent savings in welding consumables.

LDX 2101® is far lighter than austenitic 1.4301/1.4307 (304/304L); the traditional material used for fermentation tanks.

At the time when Cital made the grade selection, a sharp drop in the nickel price had made 1.4301/1.4307 competitive against LDX 2101® in absolute terms. LDX 2101® contains only 1.5 percent nickel, which is an advantage at times of high nickel prices. Because of its low nickel content, it also brings welcome price predictability to projects. It is a high strength duplex stainless steel close to 90 percent stronger than that of austenitic grades. LDX 2101® also has better corrosion resistance compared to 1.4301/1.4307.

Bioethanol fermentation tanks built by Cital using LDX 2101®. Courtesy of same

Bioethanol fermentation tanks built by Cital using LDX 2101®. Courtesy of same

The result

As a result of the material choice, Cital managed to cut their material use by more than 15 percent on the new fermentation tanks. Their choice has dramatically turned the tide for LDX 2101® in many industrial applications.

Fabrizio Basagni, Cital’s Technical & Commercial Manager said that Outokumpu’s LDX 2101® is a very good alternative for the traditional austenitic grade in large-volume tanks due to the material thickness reduction.

Cital’s first experience with duplex LDX 2101® was in 2007 when the company used the material to fabricate liquid storage tanks for Tate & Lyle, a global renewable food and industrial ingredients manufacturer. At this time they discovered that LDX 2101® brought them savings in many areas. Cital's representative also cites good technical assistance from Outokumpu as a factor in the success of the joint projects.

Project details:

Current project
20 fermentation tanks for bioethanol, to be completed by the end of 2009
Tank owner: Vivergo Fuels Limited in Hull, UK
Tank volumes and dimensions:
5,000 cubic meters, 17m in diameter, 20m in height (9 units)
600 cubic meters, 9m in diameter, 10m in height (11 units)

Tank fabricator
Cital s.r.l. of Italy based in Cuneo Province, specializing in the fabrication of pressure vessels, columns, heat exchangers, storage tanks and other equipment for paper mills and the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and power industries, with manufacture in Italy and subsidiaries in the UK, Romania and Singapore

Outokumpu supply
Total of 550 tons of duplex LDX 2101® (1.4162) plate, consisting of 538 tons of CPP, 5−10mm in thickness and 2000mm wide, and 12 tons of quarto, 12mm in thickness, used to fabricate the tank wall structures. [The tank roofs and bottoms are in 1.4301/1.4307 (304/304L).]

First project by Cital utilizing LDX 2101® from Outokumpu (2007):
Total of 230 tons of LDX 2101® plate, consisting of 220 tons of CPP, 5−8mm in thickness and 1500mm wide, and the rest in quarto, used to fabricate 2 tanks to store glucose syrup and 13 tanks to ferment bioethanol, for Tate & Lyle in Aalst, Belgium

Product used

Design and fabrication

Material characteristics

Other information

For further information, contact:
Giuseppe Lafratta
Chemical, Petrochemical and Energy
Outokumpu S.p.A., Italy
Phone +39 0331 319494
Email giuseppe.lafratta@outokumpu.com