Corrosion-resistant nickel alloy used in heat exchangers （Shanghai HY Industry Co., Ltd-marketing department）

• Heat exchangers are used in large industrial processing plants and daily electrical appliances. We will introduce these systems and the best nickel alloy materials that can be used for heat exchangers in more detail.

• In many industrial applications, some of the most important components are heat exchangers. These systems are designed to transfer heat from one fluid to another for heating or cooling. They are very common in everything from large processing plants to everyday electrical appliances such as car engines and refrigerators.

• Heat exchanger transfers heat from one liquid or gas to another liquid or gas without direct contact between the two substances. For example, domestic central heating systems use heat exchange to function: natural gas is burned, and the heat generated is absorbed by water passing through a network of pipes. This hot water is then sent to a radiator or faucet to provide hot water and warmth to the home. This is just a very simple example of a heat exchanger, but the principle is basically the same regardless of its use or scale.

• For example, there are heat exchangers in power plants, chemical processing plants, petrochemical production plants, waste treatment systems, and oil and gas processing. The nuclear industry also uses heat exchangers to help cool or heat its systems.

Heat exchanger type

• There are many different types of heat exchangers used in industry, from simple double-tube heat exchangers to more complex settings such as shell and tube heat exchangers, plate or plate shell heat exchangers.

• Heat exchangers are often used to help recycle waste, thereby creating a more efficient system. Those long chimneys and chimneys that rise above the power plant draw out waste products from industrial processes. However, what you cannot see is the heat exchange process that takes place in these chimneys. When the hot smoke rises, it passes through a heat exchanger that helps heat water, which can be passed back to the factory itself. Then, it can be used directly to bring the heat back to the processing system as needed, or transfer it to other places to provide heat, so as to recover the heat that would otherwise be wasted.

• Naturally, these heat exchangers must operate under harsh conditions. Usually high temperatures are involved and direct contact with various fluids and gases that may be corrosive. Therefore, the materials of the pipes used in the manufacture of heat exchangers need to be very corrosion resistant, have good performance under high pressure, and be able to withstand high and low temperature extremes.

• Metal is not always used in heat exchangers. In some cases, ceramics can be used, composite materials or plastics can also be used. Ceramic tubes are very suitable for use under high temperature conditions and certain corrosive conditions. Plastics are lightweight and cheap, but they are fragile and cannot withstand excessively high temperatures. Sometimes plastics are used in equipment such as swimming pools, where the heat exchange temperature is not high.

Material selection

• Many metals are also used in heat exchangers, especially industrial applications and mechanical applications. When selecting materials for heat exchangers and their components, design engineers need to consider many factors.

• This includes considering the pressure the components will withstand, the operating temperature range, the fluid in the system, the ease of maintenance and repair, and the required capacity. Of course, cost is also a major factor in the selection of materials for large projects.

• Although copper, aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, and titanium are all popular choices, nickel alloys have high strength, corrosion resistance, and high temperature resistance under the most corrosive and challenging environmental conditions. Excellent and long life, it is often used.

There are many high-performance nickel alloys that can be used in heat exchangers in different industrial applications. These alloys are usually provided in the form of pipes or tubes, and different materials can be selected. We outline some of them below:

INCONEL 625 alloy

• INCONEL625 is a kind of Corrosion-resistant nickel alloy with a wide range of uses, and it appears in various industrial applications time and time again. It has high strength, excellent manufacturability and excellent corrosion resistance, so it also plays its role in the production of heat exchangers.

• Because of its ability to resist corrosive fluids, it is usually used in seawater heat exchangers in oil refineries, power plants, and offshore platforms. It can be used at a working temperature of -253～1320℃, which is very suitable for heat exchangers in many environments. Because the alloy composition contains molybdenum and niobium, its strength is also very high, so that it can withstand the huge pressure of the heat exchange system.

Hastelloy C-276

• This Corrosion-resistant nickel alloy has been around for a long time-in fact, it has been more than 50 years. At that time, it won widespread praise for its corrosion resistance. Because the mixture contains a controllable amount of tungsten, it can be used in severely corrosive environments, especially in chemical processes where highly corrosive fluids and gases are present.

• This corrosion resistance makes it the best choice for heat exchangers used in these harsh environments. This material has been used as an ingredient in chemical processing, food processing and pharmaceutical processing. This alloy contains a large amount of molybdenum, which helps to resist local corrosion, such as pitting corrosion.

INCONEL alloy 600

• This INCONEL alloy is a controlled mixture of nickel, chromium and iron, and is a standard material in the chemical industry, automotive industry, and aerospace industry. Due to its various characteristics, including good corrosion resistance, good high temperature resistance, high strength and durability, and good workability, it is very popular in these industries.

• This all-round alloy is usually used in environments where the material has a risk of chloride ion stress corrosion cracking.

INCOLOY alloy 800

• INCOLOY alloy 800 is a material commonly used for heat exchangers in power generation. It is a mixture of iron, nickel and chromium, designed to reduce the carbon content to prevent carburization. It also resists oxidation and provides high strength. It shows good resistance to thermal cycling, which means that it is often exposed to extreme temperatures and is very suitable for use in heat exchangers.

• In challenging chemical and petrochemical processing environments, especially in the presence of nitric acid and where resistance to chloride ion stress corrosion cracking is required, INCOLOY alloy 800 is the material of choice for heat exchangers. It is also often used in household appliances, which is its versatility. It is also used in petroleum processing, where heat exchangers are used in air cooling processes.

• The variants of INCOLOY 800 alloy, namely 800H and 800HT, are also used in heat exchangers, for example in gas-cooled nuclear reactors with abnormally high temperatures.

MONEL alloy 400

• MONEL alloy 400 is another Corrosion-resistant nickel alloy that has existed for a long time, but it is still the standard material used in many applications. It was introduced to the market as early as 1905 and is mainly used for the internal components, pumps and valves of petroleum distillation towers.

• Its scope of application continues to expand, and one of its uses is heat exchanger pipes in many different industries. For example, it is used in chemical treatments, process vessels and piping, boiler feedwater heaters, and deaeration heaters. The material has high strength, toughness and corrosion resistance in a wide operating temperature range.

Shanghai HY Industry Co., Ltd is qualified superalloy supplier.We have more than 20 years experience in kind of  Nickel alloy，Cobalt alloy，Titanium alloy.