TPT July 2013

Industry News

Weld-overlay elbows and tees for Brazil project

in material used (the higher strength of the C-steel allows for thinner walls); and as thinner walls mean a significant reduction in the welding and inspection expenses when processing the fittings. This saving potential is especially high when either large wall thicknesses are required due to high pressures and/ or temperatures, or very complex and therefore expensive alloy concepts are needed due to the corrosive load. Erne clad fittings are manufactured in cooperation between Erne Fittings and Uhlig Rohrbogen. Erne Fittings has produced high quality elbows, tees and reducers since the early 1920s, as a result of which the company has established itself as a premium supplier in the approved field.

tolerances during forming process and weld-overlay, as well as flexible weld- end preparation in accordance with the connection dimensions of the straight clad pipes, ensure problem-free welding of the composite materials. Ernecladfittingscombinehighstrength with excellent corrosion properties. The inner surface of a high-strength C-steel base material is coated with corrosion- resistant materials (eg austenite, Ni- based alloys). During use, the high- alloy weld-overlay layer prevents direct contact with the corrosive media and the ferritic base material ensures the required mechanical properties with regard to pressure and temperature, such as strength and impact toughness. In contrast to solid CRA (corrosion resistant alloys), Erne clad fittings enable threefold cost savings: due to the lower price of C-steel compared to high-alloy steels; due to the reduction

THYSSENKRUPP Mannex and Erne Fittings were recently able to secure a major order of seamless pipes, fittings and flanges for a project in Brazil. Pipes, fittings and flanges are processed to spools in Suape/Recife and afterwards integrated into the refinery “Abreu e Lima RNEST”. The plant, which is located in Ipojuca in north-eastern Brazil, is a pilot project of Petrobras, Brazil’s largest oil company. In future, oil products with a high sulphur content will be processed into diesel with a very low sulphur content here, using high temperatures and hydrogen (“hydrotreating”). The over 200 cladded elbows and tees with a dimensional range of 457 x (29.4 + 3)mm are made from the heat-resistant base material WP22 and an inside weld overlay of 317L. Compliance with tightest manufacturing

Erne Fittings GmbH – Austria Email: office@ernefittings.com Website: www.ernefittings.com

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J uly 2013