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Tubes & Pipes
Abu Dhabi . Nippon Steel and Sumitomo renewed a long-term contract with Equinor to supply OCTGs and for carbon sequestration & storage projects . The National Oil Company of Abu Dhabi renewed its contract with Vallourec . Tenaris continues to supply Exxon Mobil , while Alleima won two major awards for tubes , OCTGs and umbilicals . The same company has launched its duplex grade SAF™ 3007 for enhanced performance of umbilicals in tough deepsea conditions . CCUS ( carbon capture , utilization and storage ) is a growing industry important for stainless tubes and pipes . This umbrella term covers a multitude of activities designed to curb CO 2 emissions . The sector is being massively subsidized by governments as they strive to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050 . Several projects are under way : a feasibility study is being conducted by Petronas and several stainless-steel producers to develop technologies designed to curb emissions in the Tokyo Bay area through CO 2 capture , storage and liquefaction . Various forms of recycling CO 2 have recently been developed . Also , direct air carbon capture and storage , which consists of extracting CO 2 from the air and storing it underground , received a boost after the commissioning of the Mammoth project in Iceland . However , the consensus is that industry will need to quadruple in size if climate targets are to be met . CO 2 handling can be quite corrosive because of the combination of water and chlorides . If salt is present in the water , it is necessary to use 316L or a higher grade . CRAs such as duplex stainless steel and nickel alloys are being applied in capture plants and CCUS projects . Stainless steel is applied to the compressors and tubing of injection wells . The need to curb emissions is driving innovation : for example , Tubacex has introduced Sentinal ® Prime , a connection technology for OCTGs , which can be used in deepwater oil & gas , CO 2 storage and hydrogen . Choosing the right materials for CO 2 handling is a complex affair , which is why there is still no unified set of standards for CCUS infrastructure . Hydrogen , along with its derivative , ammonia , is an essential tool for curbing emissions . It can be produced when energy supply exceeds demand and used as a fuel when demand exceeds supply . It is therefore an ideal storage device in combination with wind and solar , and one can expects its use to increase with the growth of green energy . According to a recent survey ( 2 ) , this is a dynamic market , with a CAGR of 7.8 % between 2025 and 2050 . Storage and transportation normally require hydrogen to be liquified , which means lowering the temperature to -253 ° C . This requires the use of austenitic stainless steels that combine ductility and energy absorption , such as 316L and 316LN . The “ greenest ” hydrogen comes from electrolysis , with power sourced from renewal energy . Up to now , progress has been hampered by the cost of the materials used , including titanium and
Corrosion-resistant heat exchanger chiller tubes with flanges , for a refinery .
manganese . However , a new material , SS-H2 , can achieve better corrosion resistance at a lower cost . Developed at the University of Hong Kong , it uses a “ sequential dual-passivation ” process incorporating both chromium- and manganesebased layers . It can be used in direct seawater electrolysis and can also be applied in ammonia synthesis , oil refining , steelmaking and methanol production . Several stainless tube and pipe producers are working with the hydrogen industry to develop products for hydrogen storage and transport . Vallourec ’ s “ Delphy ” storage facility was unveiled in France in 2023 , and in 2024 the company entered into partnership with Nextchem . Tubacex is involved with a project called DESSERT (“ Advanced thread connected production string for hydrogen storage in underground formations ”), which is working on the development of a new stainless-steel pipe for injecting and withdrawing hydrogen from underground reservoirs . In December Centravis agreed to supply stainless steel pipes to South Korea for a hydrogen
Heat exchanger in refinery plant . www . heat-exchanger-world . com Heat Exchanger World March 2025
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