OREANDA-NEWS. September 11, 2007. For the first time ever in CIS electric-welded pipes of steel grade K60 with two straight seams and the wall thickness 29 mm were produced at Khartsyzsk Tube Works which is a part of Steel and Roll Division of the largest national mining and steel corporation Metinvest.

Khartsyzsk pipe manufactures produced and dispatched to Russian consumers 1 840 tons of double-seam pipes 1220 mm in diameter with the wall thickness 29 mm and of steel grade K60. The pipes are in compliance with the quality level C1 and designed for oil product lines for the working pressure 10,6 MPa. Acceptance of the pipes was carried out by the independent inspection "VNIIST Diagnostics".

Earlier, in May last year, pipes of steel grade K60 1220 mm in diameter with the wall thickness 23,2 mm were produced at KhTW and in April of the current year production of pipes of this diameter with the wall thickness 27 mm was mastered at the plant.

Production of LDP with such wall thickness became possible owing to a complex modernization at all stages of processing beginning with feeding of steel plates into production till application of anticorrosive coating. In particular, a special tool was designed for the plate-bending machine which enables forming of semicylinders with the wall thickness 29 mm, modified the shapes and dimensions of the mandrel at the tack-welding unit, modernized the calibrating tool.

In opinion of the Director General of KhTW Andriy Shyshatskyy: "Mastering of new types of production is our primary goal upon successful realization of which the company's competitive ability on the market and loyalty of the customers depends. Since 2003 the plant mastered more than a dozen new types of products having considerably enhanced its consumptive properties and quality. We continue to improve double-seam pipe as its potential, to our mind, has not been exhausted yet. Under conditions of deficit of wide steel plates double-seam pipes can successfully compete with single-seam in price, providing at the same time high exploitation reliability of pipeline systems. KhTW has the experience of supplies of double-seam pipes for gas pipeline in Iran for working pressure 9,6 MPa. Nowadays in cooperation with metallurgists of Iron and Steel Works "Azovstal" we plan to produce and test a pilot lot of double-seam pipes 1420 mm in diameter of steel grade X80 with the wall thickness 29.7 mm. These extra strong pipes intended for gas pipelines with working pressure 11.8 MPa."

According to the Director of Steel and Roll Division of "Metinvest Holding" Igor Korytko: "Systematic and well-directed improvement of technology of pipe production at Khartsyzsk Tube Works is a part of the strategy of development of the Holding. First positive references from our clients which purchased tubes with the wall thickness 29 mm indicate that our intentions to demonstrate to the market the fact that a double-seam pipe not only matches their demands but also possesses quite a number of advantages are righteous".