Early in the process of handling and processing iron ore, fines (iron ore crushed and ground to a maximum dimension) are made into slurry for handling purposes. In order to keep this slurry from freezing, steam is injected through a Pemberthy™ nozzle. 

The original nozzles were made from carbon steel and were 100% hard-faced with a high chrome white iron overlay. The process of injecting steam was not continuous, when no steam was passing through the nozzle, it would cool significantly. As the nozzle cooled, the chrome overlay was prone to cracking, exposing the underlying material. Back in service, steam would enter through the cracks, causing erosion to the carbon steel nozzle. Once this started, the hard-facing material would fall away, significantly reducing the efficiency of the nozzle. The result was a regular cycle of nozzle replacement every few months. 

To solve this problem, the Deloro Stellite sales and engineering departments proposed a solution. A sand-cast, finished machined replacement nozzle was developed from Stellite® 12 alloy material, which performs particularly well in this type of high temperature cycle environment. The life of the new nozzles increased from a few months to a full year, reducing the need for down-time and for the continuous cycle of parts and scrap. To complete the “steam to green” cycle, Deloro Stellite purchases the old nozzles from the customer and recycles the material in house as part of our foundry operations.   

This Stellite Solution resulted in a triple win – for the customer, Deloro Stellite, and the environment.