TPi April 2008

Valsir’s Triplus pipe is composed of three layers ▼

Water, Gas & OCTG At one time or another, everyone in our industry will have been asked: What is the difference between a tube and a pipe? Whether the questioner received a satisfactory answer is doubtful. There is no code of practice which points a clear distinction between the two products. Nor does any industry manual define the point at which a tube becomes a pipe — if that is what it does. Those whose long memories stretch back to the formation of their companies probably will not be able to say what governed the choice of pipe or tube in the proud name of the firm. The notion of a pipe as a bigger, stronger tube never had much to recommend it — not even in the heyday of concrete pipe in the 1800s; certainly not today, when advances in materials and manufacturing methods have long since erased any practical distinction. Even so, the idea clings, and there is no harm in honouring a tradition. Water pipes, gas pipes, and oil pipes are designed, manufactured, and sold as Oil Country Tubular Goods. But the huge undertaking that is the transport of water, gas, and oil is the province of pipe makers. What’s in a name? In the case of the tubing and pipe coming off the production line of a modern factory, there is the promise of quality, reliability, and long life in service. For the demanding specialities reviewed in this section, that is what matters.

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Tube Products International April 2008

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