One of the oldest uses for steel tubing is line pipe. It is a vital application that allows the transportation of different types of fluid and gas, sometimes over very long distances. As the top ERW steel tube supplier West Midlands has, we can offer lots of advice about choosing line pipes.
A special type of steel
Pipelines need to be strong, durable, and able to withstand the pressure. As a result you can’t just use any old type of material. Instead, you need a special kind of high carbon steel. As you can tell from the name, the alloy contains a large amount of carbon. This ensures the metal has excellent tensile strength, high hardness, and low ductility. It is also highly resistant to wear.
Line pipe can either be ERW or other types of welded pipe or seamless. The choice generally depends on the cost, pressure, and temperature. Any tubing with a weld seam may not be suitable for pipelines where the pressures and temperatures are very high. However, it can be fine for every other application.
Testing the quality
Whether it is seamless or welded pipe, it is important to test the tubes to make sure they meet the right standards. For example, there should be testing to confirm the chemistry of the steel. If there is an issue here the tube should not be used. Then, it is also vital to test the strength, toughness, and stability. The tubing will need to be able to resist dimensional stress too.
Diameters
The line pipes can vary in diameter to suit different needs. Main lines are usually much larger because they have to transport much higher volumes of liquid and gas. In cases these tubes can have diameters up to 48 inches.
While the main line tubes can be very large diameters, the tubing connecting to them can be smaller. For example there will be tube with a diameter up to 16 inches feeding them and running from them to different properties.
Thickness
Line tube can also vary in terms of the wall thickness. The requirements here will change depending on the operating pressures. The walls need to be thicker for higher pressure lines to ensure that they are stronger and don’t fail. With low and medium pressures, the walls can be thinner.
Talk to an ERW steel tube supplier in the West Midlands
Whether you need quality metal tubing for line pipes or any other use, Union Steel Tubes is a company you can rely on. We have a very broad range of products. This includes different sizes, shapes, and wall thicknesses. Then, we can offer various options for finishing the tubes and even cut them to size in house.
We work very hard to ensure our standards are consistently high. This is one of the main reasons we are now one of the top providers in our industry in the UK. Whatever specifications you need to meet, we are confident we can offer the right products.
So, if you want to work with the best ERW steel tube supplier, West Midlands clients should choose us. Local businesses can come to us for a very rapid service. If you are elsewhere in the UK you can still work with us though. We will do our best to get your tubes to you as soon as possible.
