Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company Completes 200 MW Boiler Steam Drum.

BARBERTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1997--Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company (BWBC) recently completed fabrication of a 200 MW boiler steam drum at its own heavy drum shop, the largest in northern China. The drum will be installed in a boiler at the Handan Thermal Power Plant in China's Hebei Province.

The drum is the first to be fabricated in BWBC's newly expanded manufacturing facility. Weighing more than 100 tons, spanning 15.47m (50 feet, 9 inches) in length and with a shell thickness of 134mm (5 1/4 inches), the drum was shipped to the customer September 17.

According to Pete Walker, BWBC general manager, the successful completion of the project was a significant milestone. "This is the culmination of four years of planning and coordination. It also shows how we were able to develop and improve our manufacturing technology so that we do not need to rely on external assistance and can make an even greater contribution to the Chinese boiler industry."

Walker said the project also demonstrated the true capabilities of the facility and its employees. "The entire staff, from manufacturing employees to engineers and technicians to the senior management worked together on this project," he said. Activity included manufacturing 26 sets of special tooling, improving the company's quality system, and providing additional training for employees on welding and other technology issues. The facility also developed and implemented a series of regulations on materials control, inspection/testing, welding materials management, technical supervision and technology code control during the fabrication process.

That kind of attention to detail and quality paid off, with long seam weld rates achieving an ultrasonic testing (UT) acceptance rate of more than 98 percent. In addition, the radiography testing (RT) and UT acceptance rates for the circle seam welds were 99.7 percent. "We were also pleased to have perfect UT acceptance rates -- 100 percent -- on our tube stubs," Walker said. "All of these accomplishments were topped off on August 25, when the steam drum successfully passed its hydraulic test."

The plant received ISO9001 certification during the drum fabrication process from the Hartford Steam Boiler and Inspection Company. "We're particularly proud to have received ISO9001 certification as we were manufacturing this order, which is further proof of BWBC's ability to implement and adhere to the most stringent international quality standards," Walker said.

The Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company, an international operation of the Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, is located in Beijing's Shijingshan District, employs over 3,000 and services industrial and utility boilers to 800 MW. The Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group is an operating unit of McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR), a leading worldwide energy services company. McDermott and its subsidiaries manufacture steam-generating equipment, environmental equipment, and products for the U.S. government. They also provide engineering and construction services for industrial, utility and hydrocarbon processing facilities, shipbuilding industries, and to the offshore oil and natural gas industries.

The Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group is on the Internet at www.babcock.com .

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