As the family of alloys collectively known as stainless steels continues to expand, so do their potential applications throughout industry.  Generally speaking it is the ability to withstand attack by highly corrosive chemicals that creates such a high level of demand for these alloys within the chemical and petrochemical industrial sectors.

In recent years, the emergence of highly-alloyed grades such as the so-called “super-austenitic”, “super-ferritic” and “duplex” grades has enabled stainless steels to compete with nickel and titanium-based alloys for service in the most demanding conditions.  Today, these two sectors account for a large percentage of total stainless steel demand.

Included in this library section you will find papers related to use in oil and gas production, petroleum refining, pulp & paper machinery, fertiliser plants and many, many more.

Critical factors in caustic service are listed in this Nickel Institute publication,as are the metals and alloys most frequently considered for use in caustic soda-carbon steel, stainless steels, nickel and high-nickel alloys.

Although gaseous chlorine at low temperatures and in the absence of moisture is not severely corrosive and is commonly handled by carbon steel, strongly acidic hydrochloric acid is harmful to steel. This Nickel Institute publication considers the use of materials  such as high-nickel alloys, stainless steels, high-molybdenum alloys, titanium, zirconium and tantalum in these and related environments.

This datasheet compares UNS grades 316S12 and 316S16 with 316S11, 316S13, 316S31 and 316S33. Comparisons are also made with EN grades 1.4404, 1.4432, 1.4401 and 1.4436

This datasheet discusses the principal parts of EN10088 which, in 1988, replaced several older national standards

The paper contains a survey of digesters and other pressure vessels, e.g. hot liquor tanks, accumulators and impregnation vessels, made of solid duplex stainless steel and installed in pulp cooking plants. (A small charge applies for download)

Reprinted from Proceedings Presented at a 1986 symposium of the Metallurgical Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM) and Nickel Institute.  The corrosion resistance of recently developed stainless steels is reviewed with reference to their performance in pulp mill bleach plants. How to avoid preferential corrosion of welds is also covered.

The development of pulp and paper processes has been closely linked to the development of stainless steels. The paper explores the reasons why both industrial sectors have strong connections in the Nordic countries.

This excerpt from the ISSF Book of New Applications 2007, gives more information on applications in the area of electrical engineering.

The following are included here:

·         LMD-filter hood

Case study showing how Stainless steel with 6% Mo improves equipment efficiency and eliminates costly repair in a chemical process vessel. Provided by Thomas Stoner of Hercules Incorporated and Kelly Wyrough of Roben Manufacturing and written by IMOA consultant John Grocki. (107 Kb pdf)

A rendering plant has been using a Type 304L stainless steel (SS) heat exchanger to condense the rendering cooker gases and heat plant water. Corrosion problems led to its replacement by Mo-containing 2205 Stainless steel. This case study has been written up by IMOA consultant John Grocki of Advantage Resources Consulting. (93 Kb pdf)

The paper relates to the use of stainless steel in Paper pulp mills. Actual applications where austenitic stainless steel has been replaced with duplex stainless steel will be discussed. (A small charge applies for download)

This Nickel Institute report discusses stress corrosion cracking, SCC, that occurs with stainless steels in chemical plants. It focuses on SCC caused by chlorides and how to prevent it.

This article examines the selection criteria for several stainless steels and nickel-bearing alloys in the production and handling of nitric acid and in its use, both in the production of ammonium nitrate fertilizers and as an acid mixture with HF for descaling.

This Nickel Institute publication begins with alloys suitable for equipment used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid and in the storage and handling of cold, concentrated commercially-pure acid. The author presents guidelines for the selection of corrosion-resisting materials, including typical applications that involve dilute, intermediate and strong acid.

This Nickel Institute publication shows how the corrosive action of organic acids is complicated because, as a rule, these acids are not handled in isolation but as process mixtures with inorganic acids, organic solvents and salts. Certain guidelines in alloy selection are presented for storage, handling and manufacture.

Special BSSA report to provide buyers and specifiers with clear guidelines for specifying stainless long products to the latest European standards

The practice of lining -- wallpapering -- carbon steel vessels with stainless steel dates back to the late 1920s and, today,almost every process industry uses linings where corrosion protection of carbon steel vessels is needed. This report by the Nickel Institute provides a precise identification of the processes, along with capabilities and limitations.

This NI publication is a major expansion and complete rewrite and update of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 1982 bulletin, "Stainless Steels for Pulp and Paper." It has been prepared to provide mill engineers with a good overview of the wrought and cast alloys used in sulphate and sulphite mills.

The concentration of liquids is a process used in many industries -- food, beverage, chemical, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, water and waste-water treatment. This AISI publication describes how and where stainless steels are used to assure long, trouble-free service in the evaporator/concentrator environments.

This AISI publication discusses the selection of stainless steels for process equipment in ammonia production plants. It provides technical data on 18 stainless steels that might be used for construction materials. It provides data on the candidate stainless steels for desulphurization, catalytic steam reforming, carbon monoxide shift, carbon dioxide removal, methanation, synthesis, and turbine-driven centrifugal compression trains.

This series of standards applies to unfired pressure vessels subject to a pressure greater than 0,5 bar gauge but may be used for vessels operating at lower pressures, including vacuum. It covers the use of ferritic and austenitic materials at maximum allowable temperatures for which creep effects need not be considered, i.e. where proof strength governs the allowable stress. For ferritic steels the temperature limit corresponds to calculation temperatures below approximately 380°C.

Guidebook for Design of ASME Section VIII Pressure Vessels, Third Edition, provides you with details of design, materials selection, fabrication, inspection, and testing of pressure vessels and their components as well as a review of the background issues, reference materials, technology, and techniques necessary for the safe, reliable, cost-efficient function of pressure vessels in the petrochemical, paper, power, and other industries

Guidebook for Design of ASME Section VIII Pressure Vessels, Third Edition, provides you with details of design, materials selection, fabrication, inspection, and testing of pressure vessels and their components as well as a review of the background issues, reference materials, technology, and techniques necessary for the safe, reliable, cost-efficient function of pressure vessels in the petrochemical, paper, power, and other industries.

This AISI publication helps materials engineers identify the engineering materials used in all phases of petroleum refining. including distillation, catalytic cracking, coking, hydrotreating, reforming, and hydrocracking. It describes and illustrates types and nature of corrosion problems frequently encountered in petroleum refining.