Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-07-23 Origin: Site
In the transportation field, the selection of stainless steel pipes should take into account corrosion resistance, strength, pressure resistance and economy. The specific types vary depending on the transported medium (such as liquids, gases, solid particles, etc.) and working conditions (pressure, temperature, environmental corrosivity, etc.). The following are common types:
I. Common Types Classified by Material
304 stainless steel pipes: These are one of the most widely used materials in the transportation field. Containing approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel, they form a dense oxide film, exhibiting excellent corrosion resistance. They can easily resist erosion from media such as tap water, rainwater, and neutral chemical liquids, and also have good resistance to moisture and dust in the atmosphere. In terms of pressure, 304 stainless steel pipes can meet most low-pressure transportation scenarios, such as urban tap water transmission pipelines and short-distance transportation pipelines for ordinary chemical raw materials. In addition, their cost is relatively moderate, with high cost performance, making them suitable for large-scale laying.
316 stainless steel pipes: Compared with 304 stainless steel pipes, 316 stainless steel, with the addition of 2%-3% molybdenum, has significantly improved resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion, especially in environments containing chloride ions. Therefore, they are often used to transport highly corrosive media such as seawater, brine, and acidic solutions (such as some low-concentration chemical waste liquids). 316 stainless steel pipes are ideal for pipeline systems related to marine transportation, such as ballast water pipes of ships and medium transmission pipes of offshore platforms. They are also suitable for long-distance transportation pipelines of some chemical raw materials with strict corrosion resistance requirements.
II. Main Types Classified by Structure
Seamless stainless steel pipes: Made by integral rolling or extrusion processes without welding seams, they thus have high overall strength and excellent pressure resistance, being able to withstand high medium pressure. In high-pressure transportation scenarios, such as long-distance natural gas pipelines, high-pressure steam transmission pipelines, and high-pressure medium transmission pipes in hydraulic systems, seamless stainless steel pipes are the first choice. They can effectively avoid leakage problems caused by fatigue and corrosion of welding seams, ensuring the safety and stability of the transportation process. However, their production process is relatively complex, and the cost is higher than that of welded pipes.
Welded stainless steel pipes: Formed by curling stainless steel plates and then welding, with different processes such as straight seam welding and spiral welding. In low-pressure transportation scenarios, welded stainless steel pipes have higher cost performance, such as urban sewage treatment pipelines, irrigation water pipelines, and building drainage pipelines. With the advancement of welding technology, precision welded stainless steel pipes have made great improvements in pressure resistance and sealing performance, and some can even be used for low-pressure natural gas transmission or short-to-medium distance transportation of ordinary liquids. However, their application is still limited in high-pressure and high-corrosion environments.
III. Special Types for Specific Transportation Scenarios
Food-grade precision stainless steel pipes: Mainly used for transporting food-grade liquids such as beverages, dairy products, and wines. These pipes have smooth inner walls with extremely low roughness, which can reduce residue and bacterial growth during liquid transportation, meeting food hygiene standards. At the same time, their materials must meet the requirements for food contact stainless steel to ensure no pollution to food quality. Such pipes are widely used in raw material transmission pipelines of dairy processing plants and pre-filling transmission pipes in beverage production lines.
High-hardness wear-resistant stainless steel pipes: When the transported medium is granular solids, such as ore powder, coal powder, and grains, the inner walls of the pipes are prone to wear. High-hardness wear-resistant stainless steel pipes improve wear resistance through special material ratios (such as adding alloy elements like manganese and chromium) or surface hardening treatment, which can effectively extend the service life and reduce maintenance costs. They are suitable for material transportation systems in industries such as mining, metallurgy, and grain processing.
