Outokumpu introduces duplex stainless steel for domestic water heaters in China producing the first ever duplex water heater tank with a local fabricator.
Outokumpu's long business development efforts in China came to fruition in April 2012, when a prototype hot water storage tank for domestic water heaters was successfully fabricated in the country from Outokumpu's thin duplex stainless steel sheet of grade 2304 (EN 1.4362) under the supervision and with assistance from Outokumpu technical specialists.
The ongoing construction boom in China means huge growth in demand for domestic appliances such as water heaters. Worldwide, water heaters with storage tanks are the most popular method to provide hot water for households.
If the storage tanks are made from stainless steel, domestic water heaters offer vast market potential for stainless in China. As a result, this application has for long been a target for Outokumpu’s Chinese sales company in thin special products.
More than two years ago a company interested in sourcing stainless steel tanks for domestic water heaters from China came into Outokumpu’s radar screen. Outokumpu next found a local Chinese fabricator for the tanks, with the goal of introducing duplex stainless steel for the application.
Outokumpu's close cooperation with the local fabricator is an exemplary case of successful market development involving a number of Outokumpu units: Thin Strip Nyby provided samples, Avesta Research Centre evaluated the welding results, and the sales company was responsible for the local contacts, the inspection of tests, sampling and making plans for the next move. The result is the full-size, prototype tank based on the design of the potential buyer.
Domestic water heaters with storage tanks must withstand highly corrosive operating conditions. To maximize their service life, the water heaters should be manufactured with stainless steel, although these types of heaters are still a minority in the global domestic water heater market.
The most commonly used stainless steel grade in the hot water storage tanks is austenitic EN 1.4301 (ASTM 304). However, duplex stainless steel as an alternative offers significant benefits over the conventional austenitic stainless grade and makes the best hot water tanks available in the market, with less material and with superior corrosion resistance.
First, the high strength of duplex stainless steel, close to twice that of austenitic stainless steel, allows for the use of thinner tank material, resulting in considerable material saving. As opposed to 1.5 mm wall thickness in tanks made from austenitic 1.4301, the prototype duplex tank was fabricated from 1.0 mm sheet.
Second, duplex 2304 features far greater corrosion resistance than austenitic 1.4301, allowing for the longest service life of all types of domestic water heater tanks.
Source - Outokumpu
(www.steelguru.com)
