Case Study
Scunthorpe’s iron and steel industry has been a cornerstone of the area since the mid-19th century. In 1967 the works were consolidated and nationalised as part of the British Steel Corporation. In 1988 they were privatised and became part of Corus and later Tata Steel. Greybull Capital, a private investment firm that specialises in buying up struggling businesses, took over in 2016, renaming the firm British Steel.
The factory is a huge complex on the outskirts of the town centre and its towering chimneys can be seen for miles. Its presence is embedded into the lifeblood of the town – the central shopping arcade is named The Foundry in homage to it.
Steeplejack engineers from PTSG Building Access Specialists Ltd are currently onsite during a two-week shutdown of the steelworks, enabling them to perform a series of repairs to five different chimneys:
Two steel chimneys at the Appleby Coke Ovens Steel
The Appleby Coke Ovens were built in 1938 and have been progressively updated over the years. British recently invested £10m in upgrading the benzole plant that services the coke ovens and captures the
by-products of the coke-making process into a liquid product used in the chemical industry, such as in the manufacture of rubbers, plastics, lubricants, dyes and synthetic fibres.
Appleby Coke Ovens consists of four batteries, each comprising a series of ovens. The coke produced here is used in the blast furnace with the charged iron ores to produce the liquid iron, which is subsequently
converted to steel in the plant. The steel chimneys are perhaps the most visible and iconic part of the entire plant at Scunthorpe. PTSG’s steeplejack engineers are carrying out repairs to the two structures.
Two steel chimneys at the Scunthorpe Rod Mill
In the last several years, a significant investment has been made to improve the quality and range of wire rod produced at British Steel’s headquarters in Scunthorpe.
Wire rod performs an essential role in letting people go about their everyday lives, from the car or bus they
travel to work in to the bed they sleep in at night. It’s one of the most diverse products available, so hundreds of millions of end-users will see the benefits of this investment.
PTSG’s steeplejack engineers are carrying out repairs to two steel chimneys at the Scunthorpe Rod Mill.
Photo: ©
Gareth James (cc-by-sa/2.0)
One brick chimney at the Ore Preparation Plant Coke, iron ore, sinter and limestone are fed into the top of the four blast furnaces in Scunthorpe. Each
is names after four English queens: Mary, Bess, Ann and Victoria. A hot air blast of temperatures around 1,000°C is injected at the bottom of the furnace through nozzles called tuyeres. As the coke burns, temperatures higher than 2,000°C are reached and this heat creates molten metal (iron).
The plant’s modern convertors (or vessels) take a combined charge of scrap and liquid iron of up to 330 tonnes and convert this into steel in just 25 minutes.
The Ore Preparation Plant is fairly central to the British Steel’s headquarters in Scunthorpe. PTSG’s steeplejack engineers are carrying out repairs to the large brick chimney stack.
Three squads of steeplejack engineers are on site during the two-week shutdown. During this time, they will complete the highly specialised repairs using rope access techniques.
Contact PTSG to find out more about the company’s steeplejack services, or for a free, no-obligation quote: 01977 668771
www.ptsg.co.uk/building-access/steeplejack-services/ info@ptsg.co.uk fmuk 19
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