TPi September 2015

business & market news

Extending lance tube life from a month to a year

This can be avoided with Sandvik 253 MA, which has higher creep rupture strength, abrasion resistance and better corrosion resistance at higher temperatures. The grade has improved

Yong Steel Group Co Ltd, an iron and steel producer in China, was able to extend the service life of its pulverised coal injection (PCI) lance tubes – one of the most important blast furnace components – from as little as one month to a year, by replacing standard grade tubing with Sandvik 253 MA. Sandvik 253 MA is an austenitic chro- mium-nickel steel that is designed for high-temperature oxidation resistance, carburisation corrosion resistance and high-temperature strength. These properties have assisted in reducing the cost of PCI through improved energy efficiency and production consistency. “We understand that our customers require lance tubing that is capable of higher performance and longer service life, in order to fully realise the remarkable economic benefits made possible by PCI applications,” said David Zhou, technical marketing specialist, Sandvik. “Worn out or bent lance tubes may cause the shutdown of the blast furnace and result in huge economic losses.

Sandvik lance tube

added 1.5 per cent silicon, this gives the grade high-temperature oxidation resistance and high-temperature carburisation resistance properties. Added 0.17 per cent nitrogen improves the material’s high-temperature creep rupture strength over standard grades such as AISI 310. Mr Zhou added, “Sandvik 253 MA is proving crucial to enhancing advantages such as better balanced coking coal resources and improved environmental protection, while improving safety in instances where it is dangerous for workers to replace the lance tube.” Sandvik Materials Technology – Sweden www.smt.sandvik.com Mr Muro has also worked for Carpenter Technology as regional metallurgist, as well as for Chaparral Steel (now Gerdau), a division of TXI, where he served in various capacities, both technical and commercial, serving customers in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Sean Hammond, sales and marketing director of Tungum, commented, “We are extremely pleased to have Ruben join our team. His wealth of materials and sales experience will give a massive boost to our operation, in the heart of where engineering and material specification decisions are made.”

high temperature strength and structural stability to give added safety benefits.”

While standard grades last between one and two months, or for as little as two to three weeks with standard AISI 304L, Sandvik 253 MA is claimed to be able to increase PCI lance tube life by more than three times. It has been used to replace familiar PCI lance tubes manufactured from conventional materials such as 310S, TP 321H and 316L. The increased cost can be offset by the extended lifecycles and reduced maintenance costs. The Sandvik material exhibits high oxide scale density and strong adhesion, due in part to its extra 0.05 per cent cerium content. In combination with

Tungum appoints VP of sales in USA Tungum Ltd has announced the appointment of Ruben Muro as vice president of sales for the USA. His responsibilities include providing sales and technical assistance to customers using Tungum tube – C69100, for hydraulic and pneumatic purposes in a wide variety of applications and industries.

Ruben Muro

Mr Muro holds a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso, and is a member of NACE, API and ASM. Before joining Tungum, he was employed by Corrosion Materials in Houston, Texas, where he held a number of positions including branch manager, and manager of technical sales. Prior to Corrosion Materials, he was accountable for technical sales of magnesium, strontium and calcium products in the US and in Latin America at Timminco Metals.

Tungum ltd – UK sales@tungum.com www.tungum.com

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Tube ProducTS InTernaTIonal September 2015

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