The Houston oil and gas industry has grown into a sprawling system that has made an impressive impact on the world. But at its core, one foundational material is the true backbone of all refinery construction projects – steel.
Steel is an integral part of the construction business, especially in oil and gas industry projects where materials must be able to resist high temperatures, hazardous chemicals, and immense pressure. Iron and carbon comprise it; the chemical makeup can differ based on the different strength, flexibility, and durability requirements. In America, steel and iron make up about 95% of all the metal produced nationally, proving that it is a highly sought-after, vastly important material for refinery construction and many other industries.
The Importance of Structural Steel in Refinery Construction
When it comes to refinery construction, steel is a non-negotiable for almost any type of project. People widely consider it one of the most important and common building materials for both its impressive strength and durability and its cost-effectiveness. Because of these two factors, steel improves both the long-term outcome of many construction projects, while also making them more affordable from the start. This makes steel a key aspect of investing in high-quality professional construction teams like RUS Industrial.
Withstanding the Extremes: Steel’s Superior Strength and Durability
The refinery construction industry is unforgiving and requires a material that can withstand the harsh and difficult conditions it will be in. Using material like steel as a supporting material for these construction projects creates a backbone that can stand the test of time.
Steel is impressively strong for many reasons. The first is its unique chemical makeup. Iron ore and carbon make up its main materials. However, other raw materials, like manganese, silicon, phosphorus, or sulfur, can be added to create customized steel alloys for specialized applications. The three most common types of steel are:
- Carbon Steel: This is the most widely used type of steel. It has the highest iron and carbon content, and only sometimes has a small amount of manganese added. Carbon steel can be widely used for a large number of construction projects.
- Alloy Steel: When multiple elements are added to the basic carbon steel combination, it is considered an alloy steel. These can add a custom, unique factor into the steel’s chemical composition, like added strength, corrosion resistance, or hardness.
- Stainless Steel: The chemical composition of stainless steel has significantly higher chromium content than other types of steel. Typically, it makes up about 10-20% of the steel mixture. This contributes to stainless steel’s stunning surface shine, as well as its superior rust and corrosion resistance.
These variations of steel all have unique capabilities, but at its core, steel is one of the strongest materials and can still stay flexible. The flexibility aspect of steel is imperative for tall buildings that need to flex to stay standing during high winds.
Maximizing Value: The Cost Effectiveness of Steel
Structural steel for refinery construction sets itself apart from other building materials due to both its upfront and long-term cost effectiveness. What makes steel so cost-effective is that it has an exceptionally high strength-to-weight ratio. This means that a project requires a much lighter foundation, leading to fewer materials used and less labor needed.
Using steel for a construction project can significantly expedite the timeline. Because manufacturers can prefabricate the steel, assembly is quick and requires fewer hands on site. This prefabrication process can also lead to higher project success rates because manufacturers can specialize the material for the exact requirements of the specific refinery construction project.
Lastly, steel can be a more affordable option for construction projects because it typically has lower maintenance costs throughout the lifetime of the structure. Because steel is inherently resistant to pests, rot, and fire, it can help with budgeting for repairs and maintenance over time. This proves that steel is both cost-effective in the long and short term, as well as uniquely durable, regardless of the scope or scale of your refinery construction project.
Steel Fabrication Techniques for Unparalleled Versatility
Steel fabrication is the process of taking raw steel and shaping it into the exact specification needed for a construction project. This can involve things like cutting, bending, welding, and pre-assembling. This intricate metalworking process helps set your project up for success by cutting back on costs and manpower while increasing durability and safety. Manufacturers lay out the prefabrication process in several key steps:
- Design and planning: This phase involves gathering engineering specifications for your refinery construction project. Through this phase, we use drawings and exact dimensions to create a bill of materials, which lists all the steel components needed to finish the project.
- Material acquisition: After preparing a bill of materials, fabricators will source all necessary steel plates, columns, beams, or any raw materials. At RUS Industrial, we specialize in fabricating masts and substructures, V-door ramps, and draw works frames, as well as a variety of other components.
- Fabrication: The true fabrication step comprises the physical shaping of the material. Most often, it is cut, drilled, welded, or sawn in the custom shape needed for the project. Fabricators can use plate and roll bending techniques to create a massive assortment of shapes and thicknesses.
- Quality control: During this step of fabrication, our team verifies that the assembled pieces meet requirements by going through visual and dimensional inspections. Many times, a non-destructive test is done to make sure there are no defects within the final products.
- Finishing: Last but not least, workers sandblast the steel to create a smooth surface. In some cases, we apply paint or corrosion-resistant products for further long-term durability.
Ensuring Structural Integrity With Routine Steel Inspections
Every type of refinery construction project should have routine structural inspections to ensure the safety of the facility and the people who work on it. Refineries can be significantly more dangerous and high-risk than other types of processing plants because of the high heat, toxic chemicals, and high-pressure loads. Even one small structural problem that goes unnoticed could potentially lead to dangerous consequences. These inspections can commonly spot these rare, but not unheard of, faults:
- Corrosion: Things like imperfections, thinning, and stress cracks can usually indicate corrosion, which is most often due to chemical exposure. In refineries, this is not uncommon, but it is important to repair quickly.
- Cracks: You could spot this on the surfaces of the steel supports, and it could point toward steel fatigue, hydrogen embrittlement, or welding defects from the fabrication process.
- Overheating: Sometimes, when metal materials get too hot, they can expand and change shape. When this happens to steel, it can have devastating effects. Because of this, checking for overheating regularly can greatly help protect your valuable assets.
We recommend working toward a rigorous inspection and preventative maintenance schedule to be sure that your refinery construction project can continue to stand strong for many years to come.
Steel: The Backbone of Every Successful Refinery Construction Project
RUS Industrial has been completing successful, safe, and cost-efficient refinery construction projects for over three decades. We understand what kind of meticulous planning, collaboration, and skill goes into a fully functioning, safe, and cost-effective refinery build. At our core, we value our clients and understand the vast importance of these facilities, so we strive to provide professional, reliable, and fast work, no matter what kind of construction project you’re planning.
Contact us today for a refinery construction project quote!