Following a process change, a customer at a refinery in the Netherlands was experiencing corrosion cracking in the tubes of two heat exchanger desulfurization units.
They asked us for retubes made from expensive alloy 625. We suggested our newer grade - Sanicro® 35 (UNS N08935).
Our customers can depend on us to challenge them. To figure out what they need before they realize it. That’s how they can rely on us to always move them forward.
For heat exchangers, Sanicro® 35 is a smarter choice. It’s a super-austenitic alloy that offers excellent pitting resistance and outperforms conventional steel grades with only moderate nickel content. That makes it less expensive.
Its performance compared to price is excellent. Its structure balances out fluctuations. That minimizes risks and improves tube life against corrosion.
Before the process changes at the refinery, the life of the heat exchangers was more than 10 years. Afterward using the same material, that was cut to just 15 months.
“After technical evaluation, the customer decided to proceed and upgrade their heat exchangers with our newer grade,” says Bernardo Siza Vieira, technical marketing BU Southwest Europe.
As a progressive partner, we kept close contact with the fabricator through our commercial and technical sales teams.
Sanicro® 35 was a more cost-effective option for the customer over alloy 625.
“Another key factor for securing this order was our attractive lead time, due to hollows being available in stock,” says Esther Van der Horst, account manager of application tubes Benelux.
Aside from Bernardo and Esther, the others involved in this order were Armindo de Freitas Fortes and Selma Van dan Bergen – both inside sales.
Our materials make the difference. Our expertise makes it work.