Ask what material a refinery uses and there is no answer, because one unit runs carbon steel on the firewater ring, chrome-moly on the heater transfer line, stainless on the overhead and a nickel alloy on the acid section, all within a few hundred metres. The industry name tells you which conditions are likely. The point in the plant tells you which material. The industries we serve pages are organised by condition for that reason, across projects in Oman and the GCC. The product ranges sit under pipes and tubes and pipe fittings and flanges.
The Conditions That Decide Materials
|
Condition |
What it threatens |
Where the material goes |
|---|---|---|
|
Sour service, hydrogen sulphide present |
Cracking in hard or high strength steel |
NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 compliant grades, hardness limited and tested |
|
High temperature with sustained load |
Creep, and loss of strength over years |
Chrome-moly and creep strength enhanced grades, then nickel alloys |
|
Chlorides, seawater and brine |
Pitting, crevice attack and stress corrosion cracking |
Duplex, super duplex, high molybdenum austenitic, copper nickel, titanium |
|
Low temperature |
Brittle fracture, with no warning |
Impact tested grades, with the test temperature on the certificate |
|
Hydrogen at temperature and pressure |
High temperature hydrogen attack |
Grades inside the API RP 941 envelope, usually 2.25Cr-1Mo and above |
|
Acids |
General and localised corrosion |
Grade selected against the specific acid, concentration and temperature |
|
Erosion and high velocity |
Metal loss at bends and entries |
Harder or more erosion resistant grades, or wall allowance |
|
High pressure with weight limits |
Section thickness and lifting cost |
Higher strength grades to reduce wall rather than increase it |
Most plants carry several of these at once, and the combinations are what make selection difficult. Sour and cold together on a gas plant, chloride and hot on a desalination train, hydrogen and high temperature on a hydrotreater: in each case the two conditions have to be satisfied by one material rather than by compromise between them.
Materials, Certification and Inspection
Every item is supplied with EN 10204 3.1 certificates as standard, and EN 10204 3.2 certificates on request. Inspection by the buyer's nominated third-party agency can be arranged; state your requirement in the RFQ. Where a project runs to an operator or EPC material specification, send it with the enquiry so the offer is made against that document rather than against the governing ASTM or API standard alone. Positive material identification is worth specifying wherever alloy grades pass through the same yard. See the MTC and EN 10204 certification guide.
Lead time is confirmed at quotation. Material is packed for sea freight and for storage in Gulf conditions, with end caps, bevel and face protection, and separation of alloy items from carbon steel handling equipment.
What Affects the Price on Industries We Serve Work
- Grade and alloy content, which carry market surcharges
- Size, wall or thickness, and quantity against mill minimums
- Seamless or welded, forged or plate fabricated
- Testing scope: impact, hardness, HIC, corrosion testing, NDT and PMI
- Certification level and third-party inspection
- Incoterm and destination port
Quotations are available in USD, OMR, AED, SAR, QAR, KWD and BHD, on EXW, FOB, CFR or CIF terms.
What to send for a quotation:
the line list or material take-off, with grade and standard, size, wall or schedule, pressure class and facing where it applies, quantity, service conditions, testing, certification, inspection, destination port and required date.
Related Pages
- Pipes and tubes
- Pipe fittings and flanges
- Plates and sheets
- Round bars
- Oil and gas industry
- LNG and gas processing industry
Industries We Serve FAQ
Does the industry decide the material?
Not on its own. One plant carries several service conditions, and the condition at a particular point is what selects the material. The industry tells you which conditions are likely.
What makes material selection difficult?
Combinations. Sour and cold together, or chloride and hot, have to be satisfied by one material rather than by a compromise between two requirements.
What is the fastest way to get a correct offer?
Send the piping class line or the material take-off, because those documents already contain grade, size, class and testing. Otherwise send the service conditions.
Which service conditions should an enquiry state?
Design pressure and temperature including the minimum, fluid composition with hydrogen sulphide and chloride where they apply, whether the line is sour and against which standard, velocity, corrosion allowance and design life.
Can material be supplied against an operator specification?
Send the specification with the enquiry and the offer is made against that document rather than against the governing ASTM or API standard alone.
What certification is supplied?
EN 10204 3.1 certificates as standard and 3.2 certificates on request, with third-party inspection arranged where the RFQ states it.
Request a Quote for Industries We Serve Projects
Send the line list, the material take-off or the service conditions. Enquiries are checked against the governing standard before the offer is prepared, so a grade that will not meet the stated service is raised at that point rather than after delivery.