Siemens Industry Inc has installed Japan’s first polypropylene process tanks at Japanese Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel Corporation. Siemens designed and installed the polypropylene pickling tanks for the No. 1 annealing and pickling line at NSSC’s Hikari Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The order consists of two polypropylene pickling tanks with covers, a grinding brush scrubber chamber and spares. A second polypropylene pickling tank for the No. 2 annealing and pickling line will be added at the same location in December 2011. By providing equipment made from plastics, like polypropylene, Siemens is able to create designs that offer low initial cost, lower maintenance costs, and decreased labor costs. The tanks also feature environmental advantages; by removing the rubber lining found in steel tanks, the corrosion resistant polypropylene tanks reduce the chance of acid leakage and fumes, providing better control over the acid environment and extended lifecycles.
