Clean gas’ demands for new lab installation benefit from architectural design
An architectural concept, which combines the aesthetics and practical application of stainless steel tubes in a research and development laboratory design and layout, has been used by Sandvik Hard Materials in the design of a new laboratory installation.
A bank of six stainless steel, ‘clean’ tubes used to carry process gases such as argon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, as well as compressed air and cooling water, around the new 600m² facility were supplied by sister company Sandvik Materials Technology.
Sandvik Hard Materials supplied a range of cemented carbide products for engineered components, such as rotary cutters, can tooling or automotive components; blanks for the toolmaking industry and wear parts. The new global research and development laboratory will employ the latest techniques in quality control and product development and testing. In particular, the new facility will focus on new product and process development.
“We needed a gas, water and air transport system, and, therefore, a tube layout design, which would cater for current needs, meet all health and safety standards and also give us a robust structure with the flexibility to meet future services supply needs,” said global r&d manager Mathias Tillman.
“The new laboratory layout has designated areas for product testing and development and also, the ability to replicate production processes such as sintering and other heat treatments in laboratory scale. The ‘ring main’ tubes concept is innovative in terms of building design but is also extremely practical. It allows us total flexibility to access gas, water and air services, as required, both now and in the future if needs change.”
Sandvik Materials Technology has supplied all of the tube requirements for the project. To meet the requirements for ‘clean’ gases, seamless, stainless steel, type 316L (EN 1.4435) tubes have been used. Buro Happold specified the use of Sandvik Calamo tubes and Sandvik Calamo CQ and CQE grades have been installed.
These grades are non-electropolished for CFOS (Cleaned For Oxygen Service) and pharmaceutical applications. Inner surfaces are cleaned to surface roughness standards of Ra 15µ inch and Ra 40µ inch respectively and outside surfaces are buffed and brushed or polished to Ra 32µ inch. Cleaning is carried out in a workshop environment by high pressure flushing with filtered deionised water. Drying and purging of all tubes is also carried out in a workshop environment using liquid nitrogen. Sandvik Calamo has a quality system certified to PED 97/23/EC and all tubes are fully traceable.
Designed by architects, Ark DM of Sheffield with building services design provided by engineering consultancy Buro Happold, installation has been carried out by ImGAS, based in Nottingham.
