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Tubes , Pipes , Fittings
Hydrogen The outlook for hydrogen is even more astonishing : the green hydrogen sector is worth USD 676 million ( in 2022 ) and is expected to grow to 7,314 million by 2027 , a projected 61 % rate of annual compound growth ( 4 ) . More than 200 hydrogen projects are in progress around the world , and demand is coming mainly from power generation , chemical and transport . The importance of hydrogen is not lost to Alleima , who recently acquired Gerling , the German maker of precision tubes and owner of high-pressure control technology used in H refuelling stations . Hydrogen is usually transported in compressed or liquid state . With a boiling point of -252.9 ° C , hydrogen requires pipes and vessels made of an austenitic that can withstand cryogenic conditions , usually 316 ( L ). The steam reforming process for “ grey ” hydrogen also uses nickel alloys .
Semiconductors Semiconductors were in short supply in 2021-2 . Since then , the situation has eased in consumer electronics but persists for certain industries , especially auto . The industry is very global , with different components coming from different locations and a great deal of interdependence . Manufacture is concentrated in China , Taiwan and South Korea , but more capacity is being built in the USA , Thailand and Mexico . Because of the demands of cleanliness and high-precision instrumentation , semiconductor plants are very difficult to construct . Regarding tubes , the requirements are rigorous : resistance to stress cracking and corrosion , mechanical strength , and cleanliness . Maruichi is investing in Texas , USA , and its Shimonoseki plant in Japan to manufacture the bright annealed tubes required in semiconductor manufacture .
Power generation Most of the current power generation growth comes from renewables . According to the IEA , renewables will surpass coal as the largest source of electricity generation by early 2025 . One of the major applications for stainlesssteel pipes are the receiving pipes used in concentrated solar power ( CSP ). These contain molten salt and most withstand temperatures up to 500 ° C . Austenitics such as 321 and 347H have been used , but more recently , Inconel
Inside a tube mill of Alleima ( formerly Sandvik Material Technologies ).
“ The CCS industry was estimated at USD 4.2 billion in 2022 , and demand is expected to surge to 9 billion by 2032 .”
625 has been applied for its greater creep resistance and oxidation / corrosion resistance . Although we associate renewables above all with solar and wind , among the most promising sectors is the relatively small one of geothermal energy . This market is projected to grow from USD 62.65 billion in 2022 to USD 95.82 billion by 2029 , with a compound annual increase of 6.3 % during the forecast period ( 5 ) . It is also the sectors that requires the most corrosion-resistant of all alloys , materials such as duplex , super austenitics and nickel alloys such as 625 and 825 . The technology is changing fast , which could affect the growth rate . Vallourec has teamed up with GreenFire Energy to develop a closed-loop system consisting of thermally insulated pipes that harvest underground heat
Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant in Fuentes de Andalucía , Spain , utilises a molten salt heat storage system .
www . heat-exchanger-world . com Heat Exchanger World May 2023
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