Today, the energy sector faces heightened scrutiny from the public domain, as well as increasingly stringent industry standards and requirements. It is vital therefore that only the highest standard materials are used in the design and manufacture of power plant installations, where components forged using heat resistant steel, for example, must exhibit extremely high resistances to temperature fluctuation, corrosion, and deformation.
Heat resistant steel is widely implemented in the energy sector, which requires exceptional quantities of steel alloy piping with long-service capabilities. It is also applied in the manufacture of pressure vessels and boilerplate for processing functionalities, with high creep and yield strengths displaying the necessary mechanical requirements for the safe generation of transmissible electricity.
This article will explore the importance of heat resistant steel in the energy industry.
Heat Resistant Steel Piping
Electricity is generated by numerous industrial functions and principles which require the pervasive use of heat resistant steel pipes. As much as 42% of the UK’s energy production comes from burning natural gas, which requires high-strength thermal pipework for steam generation units, in centralized gas turbines, or in combined cycle units.
Renewable energy sources such as hydro and biogas energy sources currently account for 24.5% of electricity generation in the UK, and this figure is expected to increase as research into alternative energy sources continues to gain traction. Such applications require steel piping that is not only thermally efficient, it must also display excellent resistances to chemical factors such as oxidation and saltwater corrosion.
Masteel’s nickel and titanium-based heat resistant steel alloys exhibit outstanding performances under these mechanical circumstances, even after being shaped and welded to a range of thicknesses and shapes.
Heat Resistant Steel Pressure Vessels & Boiler Plate
The broadly-varying methods for modern energy production require materials that perform to versatile standards and requirements. Different energy sectors require pressure vessels that perform to different specifications, but a consistent bottom line is that pressure vessel steel must have exceptional creep yields and outstanding thermal properties. Heat resistant steel is widely employed in the manufacture of pressure vessels for the safe and efficient transportation of natural gas or biogas at optimal temperatures.
Heat resistant steel is also crucial for the formation of boiler plate utilized by the energy sector, for example for the formation of nuclear steam generators. Roughly 21% of the UK’s electricity comes from nuclear fission reactors – a figure which will drop exponentially as Britain’s nuclear power plant production is steadily reduced. Yet the formation of steam in nuclear generators still relies on heat resistant steel plates which retain their high strength properties after being welded into curved or cylindrical shapes. Nuclear reactors particularly rely on steel alloys with high chromium content due to the improved oxidation resistance properties of such alloys as Masteel’s Chrome Moly grades.
Chrome Moly Plate grades facilitate improved corrosion and oxidation resistance alongside a high thermal yield, ideal for use as boiler plate in a range of industries. It can also be accurately profiled and cut in-house to ensure excellent integration into processing plants.
Heat Resistant Steel from Masteel
Masteel is a global steel provider, sourcing and manufacturing the highest grades of steel alloys for an enormous range of industrial applications, including heat resistant steels for the energy sector.
We source grades of nickel and titanium based heat resistant steel alloys, with options of higher chromium contents for use in industries with higher corrosive characteristics.
If you would like any more information about our heat resistant steel products, please do not hesitate to contact us.