[ Tubes , Pipes , Fittings ]
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 stainless-steel 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 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 and bring it to the
Butting production facility .
Hydrogen fuelling station . Photo : Shell
surface ( as hot water or steam ) with minimal losses . Another energy sector that could potentially grow faster is nuclear fission . Under pressure to find alternative energy sources after halting oil & gas imports from Russia , the EU recently reclassified nuclear as a “ transition ” energy . Germany is delaying the closure of the nuclear plants it said it would shut down . India is expected to build several new reactors soon , and its programme includes fast neutron reactors and the use of thorium as a fuel .
Drinking water With increasing urbanisation comes greater demand for water supply systems . The demand for secondary water systems ( from main to meter , and from there to the private residences ) that transport water into apartment buildings has been increasing for some time . From 2019 , China has been extensively upgrading its systems in three stages , the first of which is 2019-23 . In the pipes , galvanised steel , ductile iron or plastic have given way to stainless after the earlier types were found to be prone to leaks . Shenzhen , in overhauling its water system , opted for 316L in all tubes , fittings and water tanks in secondary systems , and other municipalities have been following suit . In coastal regions , 316L will be preferred because of the saline conditions , but in lowchloride conditions 304 is acceptable . Exceptionally , if the water is salty ( chloride level > 1000 ppm ), duplex or superaustenitic grades are required .
Automobile This industry has recently been vulnerable to supply chain issues , one of the reasons , aggravated by Brexit , that the UK has suffered a catastrophic decline in production and market share . Although electric vehicles are the most rapidly growing part of this sector , the internal combustion vehicle will not disappear overnight , ensuring that stainless steel demand will remain significant . Stainless tube requirements in auto include exhaust pipes , which are usually made of ferritic . There are also applications in which austenitics are standard : chief among these is gasoline direct injection ( GDI ) tubing , which improves efficiency by reducing weight . Stainless tubing is also used in transmission systems , for coolant circulation , and in impact absorbers frames and bumpers .
References
18 Stainless Steel World March 2023 www . stainless-steel-world . net