Opportunities For Duplex Stainless Steel Suppliers
Duplex stainless steel has a wide array of applications in key industries. The duplex steel has been extensively used for different high temperature applications since the 1930s.
It’s no doubt that Duplex Stainless Steel Suppliers, wherever they’re stationed in the world, have a big market. The said alloy has a vast number of applications. The alloy exhibits strong resistance to oxidation, making it ideal for volatile environments.
Markets For Duplex Stainless Steel Suppliers
The pulp and paper industry was the first sector to utilise duplex stainless during the 1930′s and commonly used the alloy for castings. The grade used back then, the S31500, was originally designed to prevent stress corrosion cracking in pulp and paper facilities. The chemical processing industry followed suit in utilising duplex steel and highly favoured it over other steel types for its resistance to corrosion.
Stress corrosion cracking is also a concern for the food and beverage industry, making duplex an ideal component for facilities in this industry. The alloy also offers a cheaper alternative to the standard austenitic grades to handle heated liquids. The duplex alloy is also being used as a component for tankers, which is used to transport fuels and cargoes.
Since the 1970′s, duplex steel has been used to solve problems related to stress corrosion cracking caused by oil and gas refining and exploration. The alloy’s resistance to atmospheric corrosion also makes it ideal for industrial engineering work.
Growth Prospects For Duplex Stainless Steel Suppliers
It is a known fact that most industries suffered greatly from the global financial crunch three years ago and the maritime industry is no exception. The demand for semi-finished products and manufacturers of duplex steel tubes declined mainly because of the lack of projects which required the alloy. Nonetheless, new studies projects that the duplex market would grow by 16 percent yearly in the medium term. Because of increasing fuel prices, more investments are being made in the upstream oil and gas industry, where duplex alloy is an essential tool or commodity. There are also new applications for duplex that have recently emerged, such as in the discovery and transfer of biofuels and geothermal energy.