High-Pressure Steam Superheater Coil Tube — Primary Reformer Furnace Application (Coil Tube Series)

1. Product Overview

The Coil Tube product line supplied by Wenzhou Jixing Metal Materials Co., Ltd. is specifically engineered for high-temperature, high-pressure service environments within primary reformer furnaces and associated steam superheater systems in petrochemical and natural gas processing facilities. These coil tubes are fabricated from austenitic stainless steel and alloy materials designed to withstand extreme thermal cycling, thermal radiation, and oxidative degradation under sustained operating conditions exceeding 1000°C.

This product series addresses the critical need for periodic renovation and replacement of superheater coil tubes in existing reformer furnace installations, where degradation of original tube materials due to prolonged exposure to high-temperature steam, hydrocarbon atmospheres, and thermal fatigue necessitates the installation of upgraded alloy coil tubes with superior creep resistance, oxidation resistance, and mechanical integrity.

Industry Context: In steam methane reforming (SMR) and steam ethane reforming processes, the primary reformer furnace superheater coil tubes operate at temperatures ranging from 800°C to 1100°C with steam pressures up to 40 MPa. Material failure in these components leads to catastrophic process interruptions, making coil tube integrity a critical safety and reliability concern.

2. Material & Properties

2.1 Base Material Grades

Coil tubes for high-pressure steam superheater applications are manufactured from the following primary material grades:

2.2 Key Mechanical Properties (Typical — SAE 310S)

2.3 Chemical Composition (Typical — SAE 310S, wt%)

Element Minimum Maximum
Carbon (C) — 0.08
Chromium (Cr) 24.0 26.0
Nickel (Ni) 19.0 22.0
Manganese (Mn) — 2.0
Silicon (Si) — 1.0
Sulfur (S) — 0.030
Phosphorus (P) — 0.035
Iron (Fe) Balance —

3. Specifications

Parameter Specification
Product Name High-Pressure Steam Superheater Coil Tube (盘管)
Product Code 543 — Coiltube Series
Material Grades SAE 310S, SAE 309S, SAE 347H, HP-92, HP-Nb, Alloy 617
Outer Diameter (OD) 25.4 mm to 108 mm (1" to 4")
Wall Thickness 1.5 mm to 6.35 mm (0.059" to 0.250")
Bend Radius 3D to 6D (minimum, depending on material grade and wall thickness)
Coil Length (as-supplied) Custom lengths; typically 50 m to 500 m per coil
Operating Temperature Up to 1150°C (continuous)
Operating Pressure Up to 40 MPa (steam side)
Heat Treatment Solution annealed (1050–1150°C) followed by controlled cooling
Surface Finish Mill finish (annealed); optional pickling and passivation
Manufacturing Standard ASTM A213, ASTM A269, ASME SA-213, EN 10216-5
Application Standard API 530 (Reformer Furnace Tubes), ASME B31.3
Quality Certification ISO 9001:2015, PED (EU 2014/68/EU), NACE MR0175 (if applicable)
Supplier Wenzhou Jixing Metal Materials Co., Ltd.

4. Manufacturing Process

4.1 Seamless Tube Production

The base tube material for coil tube fabrication is produced via the hot-rolling and piercing method or the continuous casting and hot-rolling (CC-HR) process:

  1. Ingot Casting: Ultra-low sulfur and ultra-low phosphorus steel ingots are produced via electric arc furnace (EAF) or vacuum arc remelting (VAR) for premium grades, followed by vacuum induction melting (VIM) for critical applications.
  2. Billet Preparation: Cast ingots are reheated and forged into billets of appropriate cross-section for piercing operations.
  3. Piercing: Billets are heated to 1150–1250°C and pierced to produce hollow shells.
  4. Elongation & Reduction: The hollow shell is elongated and reduced through multiple passes on a rolling mill (e.g., Mannesmann or APL tubes) to achieve the desired OD and wall thickness.
  5. Heat Treatment: Tubes are solution-annealed at 1050–1150°C in a controlled atmosphere furnace, followed by water quenching or controlled air cooling.

4.2 Coil Forming Process

  1. Tube Straightening: Seamless tubes are straightened and cut to specified lengths.
  2. End Preparation: Tube ends are beveled, deburred, and inspected for internal defects.
  3. Hydrostatic Testing: Each tube is pressure-tested at 1.5× the maximum operating pressure to verify integrity.
  4. Coil Bending: Tubes are bent into the required coil configuration using a controlled-temperature bending machine with induction heating to maintain material ductility and prevent cracking. Bending is performed at temperatures between 600–900°C for stainless steel grades.
  5. Heat Treatment Post-Bending: A post-bend annealing cycle (1050–1100°C) is applied to relieve residual stresses introduced during the bending operation.
  6. Final Inspection: Dimensional verification, visual inspection, and optional eddy current testing (ECT) or ultrasonic testing (UT) to detect surface and subsurface defects.
  7. Coil Packaging: Completed coil tubes are coiled, secured with steel straps, and protected with moisture-absorbent packaging for shipment.

4.3 Quality Control Milestones

5. Applications

5.1 Primary Application: Reformer Furnace Superheater Coil Tubes

The primary application of this coil tube product is in the steam superheater section of primary reformer furnaces used in:

5.2 Renovation & Replacement Scenarios

This product is specifically designed for retrofit and replacement projects in existing reformer furnace installations where:

5.3 Additional Applications

6. Quality Certifications & Compliance

6.1 Manufacturing Certifications

6.2 Product Standards Compliance

Standard Scope
ASTM A213 Specification for seamless austenitic stainless steel boiler, heat-exchanger, and similar tubes
ASME SA-213 Austenitic stainless steel tubes for heat transfer equipment
ASTM A269 Specification for austenitic stainless steel welded tubing
EN 10216-5 Non-ferrous metal tubes and their alloys — austenitic stainless steel
API 530 Standard for design of hydrocarbon process heater radiant tube assemblies
ASME B31.3 Pressure Piping Code — Process piping design and installation
ISO 1143 Non-ferrous metal tubes — general specifications

6.3 Inspection & Testing Protocols

7. Unique Selling Points