Nickel recycle: Extending service life for reformer tubes

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05.01.2011 | Kunte, S. B., Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd., Chembur, Mumbai, India

Case studies investigate methods to conserve high-nickel tubes for fertilizer facilities

Keywords: [maintenance alloys] [metal] [natural gas] [metallurgical piping]

This case study deals with the conservation of centrifugally cast reformer tubes in the fertilizer industry. A fertilizer plant investigated how to extend the service life of reformer tubes beyond design limits. The study describes two cases: one case focused on HK-40 tubes and the other with HP micro-alloyed tubes. In both cases, reworking the tubes proved to lengthen the service life for the reformer tubes. The recovery and reinstallation procedures were successful. Such actions not only resulted in huge savings on the reformer-tube inventories but also in conserving expensive raw materials, such as nickel.

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