Specialists of Ural Steel (part of the Metalloinvest company) have developed and produced a pilot batch of heavy-duty sheet metal (strip) for the manufacture of oil and gas trunk pipelines operating at minus 60 C.
Until now, the 2800 mill has mastered the production of sheet products up to the strength class K60 with the ultimate strength of the metal not less than 590 MPa. The new development has a strength class of K65 with a temporary metal resistance of at least 640 MPa.
“The plant is implementing a quality improvement program, within the framework of which the steelmaking complex was reconstructed, the finishing stand of KVATRO mill 2800 was replaced, an accelerated cooling unit and a thermal processing complex for rolled products were put into operation,” said Ildar Iskakov, Managing Director of Ural Steel. “The introduction of modern technologies allows us to constantly expand the range and go one step ahead of the requirements of customers for sheet metal.”
To obtain the required level of mechanical properties of rolled products, an alloying system was used, including a low content of carbon, sulfur and phosphorus, alloying with manganese and molybdenum, microalloying with niobium and vanadium. This approach, in combination with the use of significant reductions in the KVARTO stand and intensive post-deformation accelerated cooling, made it possible to achieve a given level of strength and plastic properties that meet the requirements for strength class K65, with high cold resistance of rolled products.
Novotroitsk metallurgists have extensive experience in the successful development and production of cold-resistant metal. Gold medals at the Metal-Expo industrial exhibition were awarded to strips for arranging gas gathering networks at the Yamal LNG plant for the production of liquefied natural gas and flat products from economically alloyed cryogenic steel for the production of vessels for storing and transporting liquefied natural gas in Arctic conditions.
