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Re: None

Tuesday, 09/29/2015 7:59:56 PM

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 7:59:56 PM

Post# of 165851
This link:

http://metal.citic/iwcm/UserFiles/Content/58223526096241416392015-03-06.pdf

...is to a paper from 2010 by Dr. J. Malcolm Gray that discusses the use of Niobium in various pipelines. Specifically, quoting from the intro paragraph:

“A brief history and chronology of the developments are presented and current niobium usage is illustrated with examples for Double Submerged Arc Welded (DSAW), seamless and Electric Resistance Welded (ERW) pipe.”

Also in the intro, Gray states that the niobium content in linepipe systems has increased from 0 in 1957 to 14 million pounds of contained niobium in 2001.

One major German manufacturer of offshore seamless pipeline is Schoeller-Bleckmann Edelstahlrohr

http://www.sber.at/en/

Part of the Tubecex manufacturing group.

The SBE website defines stabilized steel, one of their products, as:

Stabilized steel
Steel is stabilized by addition of titanium, tantalum or niobium. These are elements, which have a higher affinity to carbon than chromium, so that titanium-, tantalum- or niobium-carbides form instead of chromium-carbides. The chromium dissolved (free) in the metal lattice, however, further provides a good corrosion resistance of the steel, which it would loose with the formation of chromium-carbides.

https://www.sber.co.at/en/services/lexicon/glossary/s.htm

This suggests that Schoeller-Bleckmann Edelstahlrohr is a end-user of Niobium that they use as a micro-alloying agent in the steel that they use to hot-roll seamless pipes.

If you look at the PAV list on Dan Byrne's Linkedin page, the last entry I see is for
Miroslav HORENIN

Product & Business Development Manager, Schoeller-Bleckmann Edelstahlrohr

Very interesting, IMO