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Tubes , Pipes , Fittings
Butting pipes are transported by rail , ship and truck all over the world .
Strong growth The current economic uncertainty has left the tube , pipes and fittings sector relatively unscathed . On the whole , the post-Covid economic recovery – though weak because of inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine – provides a positive environment , with certain regions and sectors driving growth . The global stainless-steel tubes and pipes market , estimated at USD 32 billion in 2021 , is anticipated to grow to 44.7 billion in 2028 , with an annual compound growth of 4.6 % ( 1 ) . Growth in Asia as usual leads the pack , and one country has seen spectacular growth in its steel tube and pipe manufacture : India . Half of India ’ s steel tube and pipe sector is stainless , with companies such as Scoda and Venus Tubes and Pipes leading the way in terms of organic growth . These gains come despite massive increases in nickel prices and mounting energy costs , at least in Europe .
“ Half of India ’ s steel tube and pipe sector is stainless .”
Also , those companies that publish their results have largely performed well in 2022 , and many have ambitious investment plans . Tubacex , which exceeded its 2019 results in the first nine months of 2022 , is increasing its revenue in the oil & gas sector and investing in CO 2 capture and storage ( CSS ). Ukraine-based Centravis , despite the uninvited guest on their home territory , is increasing CAPEX by USD 10 million in 2022 . Maruichi ( formerly Kobelco ) is expanding its capacity in its semiconductor , hydrogen and auto sectors and has opened a subsidiary in the USA ; Maruichi Stainless Tube Texas . Phoenix Tube is investing USD 8.1 million at its plant in Bethlehem , USA , with new production line for small-diameter stainless steel , titanium , and nickel alloy pressure tubing used by the construction industry .
Markets Oil & gas The oil & gas sector remains crucial for the tubes & pipes sector , with special dynamism shown in Guyana and great promise in new fields in Turkey , Suriname , Tanzania and Namibia . Oil & gas companies were spectacularly profitable in 2022 , and this is likely to continue even if prices are expected to moderate after the spike of 2023 ( according to the US Energy Information Administration ). Orders for stainless tubes and pipes have been pouring in . Alleima ( formerly Sandvik Materials Technology ) reported an order of USD 23 million for umbilicals . Tubacex has been supplying Exxonmobil ’ s Guyana offshore and landed a large award from ADNOC in Abu Dhabi for CRA OCTG products , where they are building a plant that will open in 2024 . Butting delivered duplex ( LC65-2205 / UNS S31803 ) welded pipes to a Middle Eastern company , and Petrobras awarded important contracts to Tenaris and Vallourec , who also won an order from Saudi Aramco for OCTG products . Fine Tubes supplied high-performance tubes in MONEL ® alloy 400 for Qatargas ’ s oil & gas industry .
Petrochemicals and chemicals Petrochemicals and chemicals are also a dynamic market for the high-end special alloys and higher grades of stainless steel . The petrochemicals industry , valued at USD 37.5 billion in 2021 , is projected to grow at an annual compound growth of 8.5 % between 2022 and 2028 ( 2 ) . However , the short-term predictions for the US chemicals industry are for a mild recession in 2023 , caused partly by inflation – especially of fossil fuel prices . Duplex and carbon steel are the two most used types of material for pipes . Duplex is finding increasing use in heat exchangers , transport , cooling pipes and structural components . Sustainability and circularity ( recycling ) are concepts that will grow ever more important , especially in the petrochemicals industry . One waste-to-energy process , for instance , relies on pyrolysis ( burning in the absence of air ) for the conversion process . The tubes and vessels use materials selected for their oxidation resistance , high strength , thermal cyclic resistance , creep properties and carburisation / crack resistance . These include such grades as the austenitics 253 MA , 309 , 310S and 330 , and INCONEL 610 . To these we may now add Alleima ’ s Sanicro ® 35 grade . In June 2022 , the company announced that it had received an order from a waste-to-gas plant in Texas to replace failed heat exchanger tubes in 316L with its new alloy .
CCS The CCS industry was estimated at USD 4.2 billion in 2022 , and demand is expected to surge to 9 billion by 2032 , with an annual compound increase of 14 % ( 3 ) . The processes require transportation pipelines that can withstand a wide range of pressure and temperature levels . High levels of corrosion resistance and toughness , as well as rigorous welding requirements , are needed to resist thermal shocks or extreme cooling , which can cause pipes to crack or rupture . Vallourec , Maruichi and Alleima are all suppliers of CCS tube and pipe products , while Tubacex is developing industry-specific solutions . For instance , Alleima has just received an order of OCTG tubes to be used in a CCS project .
40 Heat Exchanger World May 2023 www . heat-exchanger-world . com