Spirax Sarco’s involvement in the design and supply of a complex hot water control system helped Pirelli meet a tight deadline for expanding tyre production at its European Centre of Excellence for Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Tyres in Carlisle.
The factory rolls out 13,000 SUV and high performance tyres per day, but wanted to increase output. High-pressure hot water is used to cure the tyres and a new plant was needed to meet the planned production increase. Using parameters from Pirelli, Spirax Sarco designed the hot water plant’s control system and supplied a range of isolation and pneumatically-actuated control valves. The 24/7 nature of tyre production meant that the changeover to the new hot water plant had to be fast. The system uses steam to supply water at high pressure and high temperature. Spirax Sarco valves on the steam side control the water temperature and pressure. The correct pressure is achieved by modulating the steam supply into the hot water tank. Other Spirax Sarco valves control the hot water make-up and system backpressure. Spirax Sarco specified bellows sealed valves throughout to ensure that zero-emissions were achieved along with high reliability and low maintenance. This was important because the new hot water system is sited in a virtually unmanned area of the plant and must operate throughout the year.
