Swedish engineering group, Sandvik, has launched a new environment friendly boiler technology for super critical and ultra supercritical thermal power plants in India. This is part of its long-term strategy to introduce products based on high R&D inputs into the Indian market to tap the expanding power sector. The product from Sandvik’s global portfolio will now be locally manufactured in India.
Sandvik Materials Technology, a division of Sandvik, launched the value added special boiler seamless tubing that are capable of withstanding dramatic increase in temperature and pressure in the supercritical and ultra supercritical power plants by using special material technology in the tubing. This makes Sandvik the first company to bring such a product to India and manufacture it locally.
?This new technology roll out aims at cutting costs and addressing environment concerns to cater to technological changes in thermal power generation,? Hakan Kingstedt, MD & President, Sandvik Asia. ?As the Indian economy continues its fast paced growth at around 9%, demand for power will see an exponential rise and new technologies will play a significant role in meeting the challenges of energy sector,? he said. To provide 1,000 units of per capita electricity by 2012 it has been estimated that the additional capacity of one lakh mega watts would be required and to meet this huge demand, technology enhancements will play a pivotal role in India?s power generation and more specifically in upcoming power plants, Kingstedt said.
Ajay Sambrani, VP & product unit head, Sandvik Materials Technology, said 95% of power plants in India were sub-critical plants as the country moves towards supercritical and ultra supercritical plants, the technology and equipment are entirely different. So far welded tubes were used in boilers. A critical aspect of the new plants is a dramatic increase in temperature and pressure necessitating use of seamless tubes made with special materials. Sandvik?s has this technology to make value added special boiler tubing. The new tubes will be seamless. Sambrani said by 2022, 85% of plants will be supercritical or ultra supercritical and around 60 to 70 plants will come up by 2017 that is what the market potential for Sandvik is.
Sandvik will be manufacturing these products in India from the Sandvik Mehsana Tube Mill operations with supplies starting in 2011. Sandvik?s Mehsana unit is part of Sandvik Materials Technology business producing niche value added stainless steel seamless tubes and pipes.