In 2015, Hilgefort GmbH received an order from a renowned plant construction company in Essen for the production and delivery of pipelines, ducts, connectors and four silos for a cloth filter system for a sintering belt belonging to a German steel manufacturer in Duisburg.
The production weight for the entire scope was approximately 1100 tons. The materials used were primarily sheet metal from materials S235J2+N and S355J2+N. Production was completed in line with the latest technical codes and according to factory standards held by the steel company. The high quality standards, specifically those relating to the welded connections were tested and documented by means of non-destructive tests, among other processes.
The components have dimensions in excess of 6700 mm in width and height. These dimensions necessitate very high standards in production, sealing and safe handling in the production process.
Special preparations and plans were also necessary for transporting the components. In total, 56 heavy goods vehicles were used to transport the system parts to the port. The convoy stretched up to 700 m and posed a particular challenge.
Owing to their size, most of the components were shipped directly to the end customer. The components were transported to the inland port of Sedelsberg or Papenburg by lorry, where they were then loaded onto a barge.