[ Tubes, Pipes, Fittings ]
[ Tubes, Pipes, Fittings ]
Balev 304L ® and Balev 316L ®, derived from austenitic types 304L and 316L, provide greater strength and corrosion resistance while reducing weight. Photo: Centravis.
Seamless stainless-steel tube in Nikopolium duplex grade. Photo: Centravis. plant in South Korea, and tubes for hydrogen-powered cars. The importance of ensuring that cryogenic substances maintain their liquid state is especially evident in transport. Rocket launches are fuelled by LNG, LOX or LH2, while LH2 as a motor fuel has been growing for heavy vehicles. Nowadays, the most efficient way of ensuring insulation is ACME’ s vacuum-jacketed piping( VJP) system, which is superseding foam insulation systems. These are welded or seamless piping in austenitic grades 312, 304, 304L or 316. Manufacture of semiconductors requires ultra-pure“ clean tubes” to transport gas, whether bright annealing( BA) or electropolishing( EP). These tubes, made of 316L, serve to exclude non-metallic materials to prevent the material itself from reacting with the gas and creating harmful fumes. Maruichi Stainless Tube is expanding its production facilities for BA tubes for use in semiconductor manufacture and vehicles. Data centres have recently emerged as a major consumer of stainless-steel tubing, fittings, connectors, filters, stainers, pumps, valves and heat exchanger components. These vast factories of AI are surprisingly hot and dusty, requiring stainless steel’ s hygienic properties and thermal conductivity. It has become the material of choice for liquid cooling systems because of its coolant compatibility, durability and cost-effectiveness. Power generation is a fast-changing sector in which renewables and nuclear energy provide plenty of opportunities. Nuclear power has had
its ups and downs, but is currently in an upward trend thanks to the crucial role nuclear – or rather the electricity it generates – plays in decarbonisation. The main actors are France, China, India, Russia and the USA, but many newcomers are emerging. Small modular reactors( SMRs) are the sector likely to experience the fastest growth. They have several advantages over traditional, larger designs, including standardised components, reduced lead times and passive cooling systems. One of the first to be built is TerraPower’ s Natrium ® reactor, which uses sodium instead of water as a coolant and features a molten-salt energy storage system similar to those used in concentrated solar power.
Hydrogen fuel dispenser for vehicles.
SMRs are likely to increase demand for low-cobalt stainless steels and more advanced grades. Typically, tube requirements will include 347H or 316Ti for the heat exchangers, SA213 for the steam generators, high-pressure seamless tubes for the pressurisers and recirculation loops, bright-annealed corrosion resistant tubes for the containment cooling and U-bent or finned 304L / 316L coils for the turbine condensers. Heat resistance is an important factor in improving performance in process and energy industries. To combat carburisation in boilers and pressure vessels, Tubacex and VDM Metals have collaborated to produce nickel alloy 699 XA to combat metal
www. stainless-steel-world. net Stainless Steel World March 2026 17