Inconel Tubing

Inconel tubing is a high-performance alloy known for its exceptional resistance to heat and corrosion, making it an ideal choice for various industrial applications. 

Composed primarily of nickel and chromium, Inconel exhibits remarkable mechanical properties even at elevated temperatures, which is why it is often used in extreme environments such as gas turbines, nuclear reactors, and chemical processing.

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What are Inconel alloys?

Inconel is a trademarked family of more than twenty high-strength nickel-chrome-iron-based super alloys, enriched with other metals and minerals, with exceptional qualities, including extraordinary strength and resistance to corrosion, oxidation, and heat, engineered to endure extremely corrosive and blazing hot environments.

Inconel alloys are manufactured as seamless tubes, seamless pipes, welded tubes, wire, plates, sheets, and fittings.

What is Inconel tubing?

Inconel high-performance tubes are made from a distinctive type of nickel alloy enriched with chromium, iron, titanium, aluminium, and other minerals in varying ratios, for specific applications in industries with excessive demands, such as petrochemical processing, heat exchangers, aerospace and aircraft engines, submarine propulsion, racing car exhaust systems, furnaces, and more.

Inconel 625 seamless pipe and tube are arguably the most common across key industries. Inconel 625 tube is a carefully balanced high-temperature alloy composed of nickel, chromium, molybdenum, niobium and other elements. Common trade names for Inconel 625 tube include Alloy 625, Chronin, Altemp, Haynes, Nickelvac, Nicrofer, and UNS N06625.

What makes Inconel tubes special?

Inconel tubes stand out for their unmatched durability and performance in extreme conditions. It is unrivalled in its high thermal and structural stability and resistance to corrosion and oxidation under intense heat and chemical exposure.

When exposed to severe heat, the tube forms an inert shielding oxide surface layer that protects it from heat and chemical damage.

Its dimensional stability makes this tube indispensable in precision applications.

For expert advice and supply of Inconel tubing, contact Special Metal Alloys online, or give us a call at +44 [0]161 278 2386.

How many types of Inconel tubes are manufactured?

Based on the types and ratios of different metals and minerals alloyed with chromium, nickel and iron, more than 20 types of Inconel alloys are manufactured in standard sizes. The most common alloys used for tubing are Inconel 600, 601, 625, 690, 718, 725, and 750.

Characteristics of Inconel tube

Exceptional qualities that offer a multitude of high levels of benefits and advantages include:

High strength and toughness at high temperatures.

Inconel 625 tube, one of the types of seamless Inconel tubes, has a higher strength and durability than titanium. Inconel tubes maintain their performance across a wide temperature range, from cryogenic up to 1093 °C.

The exceptional strength of some types of Inconel tubes is achieved through solid solution and metal precipitation strengthening or age and heat hardening.

The intermetallic alloying combinations and hardening techniques create tiny cubic crystals that prevent creep deformation and increase the tensile, compressive, impact, fatigue, and yield strength of alloys. The formation of gamma-prime crystals increases over time and increases when exposed to high heat.

Other types of Inconel tubes contain molybdenum and columbium, which stiffens the tube and strengthens the nickel-chromium matrix without precipitation hardening treatments.

Outstanding corrosion and oxidation resistance, even under high heat and stress.

In particular, the presence of chromium in the alloy drastically increases resistance to oxidation and corrosion by aggressive gases and liquids like chlorine and hydrogen chloride, sulfuric acid, saltwater, petrochemicals, nitric acid, and alkalines.

Non-magnetic

This eliminates the risk of unintentional magnetic attraction. It also increases corrosion resistance because the nickel alloy atomic structure is lined up in a crystal formation, called austenite.

Versatility

Thanks to its superior properties, durability, and high performance, Inconel tube is one of the most versatile products available, specifically optimised for a range of applications in the most demanding performance, manufacturing, processing, precision, and construction environments where other materials will not hold up.

Possibility of fabrication

Despite their toughness, Inconel tubes can be engineered and shaped to meet customised requirements. Although difficult, they can be machined, welded, and joined with specialised machinery and processes such as slow-cut single-point lathing, electrical discharge machining, electron-beam and gas tungsten arc welding.

Applications of Inconel tube

  • Marine, desalination, gas pipeline, chlorination equipment, and chemical processing applications due to the high resistance to corrosion by seawater and chemicals of the tube.
  • Oceanographic, shipping, medical instrumentation and devices, and pressurised reactors, because of the structural integrity of the seamless tube.
  • Reactors; thrust reversers; flare stacks; automotive, aircraft, and submarine propulsion motors; and turbochargers, due to their strength and resistance to heat and corrosive substances.
  • Jet engine and automotive exhaust systems, heat exchangers, power plants, incinerators, vacuum furnaces, and cryogenic storage facilities, due to the high performance of the tube at almost any temperature.

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