Sandvik Steel has received its largest ever order for heat exchanger tubes from the fertiliser industry in China. Valued in excess of SEK 11 million, the order is from Luzhou Natural Gas and Chemical Plant (LTH) in the SW of China and is for heat exchanger tubes to stainless steel specification Sandvik 2RE69. As a result of the investment, the LTH plant will have a daily output of 2000 tonnes of urea.
Sandvik’s 2RE69 tubes were originally installed at the plant in 1975, although it was not until 1997 that the first indications were received of a possible heat exchanger replacement. Ongoing and close contact between Sandvik Steel and LTH for supplies of replacement tubes for maintenance purposes over a 25-year period, the good experience with the long service life of the original tubes, combined with Sandvik’s technical support, helped in the decision for Sandvik 2RE69 tubes to be used for the replacement heat exchanger. The tubes are due for delivery at the beginning of 2002.
Sandvik 2RE69 is a fully austenitic stainless steel with very low carbon and impurity contents. Developed primarily by Sandvik to meet the severely corrosive conditions in the urea industry, the steel is characterised by excellent resistance to corrosion in urea carbamate and to intergranular corrosion. It also has high resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion and
good weldability.
