ASTM B163 UNS N02200 seamless tubing is a key material used primarily in condensers and heat exchangers. This specification, developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM B163-22), covers seamless nickel and nickel alloy tubing with an outside diameter of 3 inches or less and a minimum wall thickness of 0.148 inches or less.
UNS N02200 (Nickel 200) is a commercially pure nickel with a nickel and cobalt content of at least 99.0%, along with carefully controlled amounts of other elements such as carbon (≤ 0.15%), iron (≤ 0.40%), manganese (≤ 0.35%), silicon (≤ 0.35%), copper (≤ 0.25%), and sulfur (≤ 0.010%).
This high purity provides excellent mechanical properties and broad corrosion resistance, particularly in neutral to moderately reducing environments, while also exhibiting high thermal and electrical conductivity.
Its physical properties include a density of approximately 8.89 g/cm³ and a melting point range of 1435-1446°C. In the room temperature annealed state, its typical mechanical properties are a tensile strength of 55-75 N/mm², a yield strength of 12-30 N/mm², an elongation of 40-60%, and a Brinell hardness of up to 70 HB.
ASTM B163 UNS N02200 Seamless Pipe Properties
High-Temperature Resistance
UNS N02200 is a commercially pure nickel with an extremely high nickel content as its core characteristic. This high purity forms the basis for its excellent corrosion resistance and good electrical and thermal conductivity. UNS N02200's controlled carbon content makes it suitable for high-temperature alkaline environments above 300°C. However, prolonged exposure to higher temperatures (e.g., 425-650°C) may result in carbide precipitation, affecting ductility.
Excellent Mechanical Properties
In the annealed state, UNS N02200 seamless pipe exhibits good strength and excellent ductility. This material offers remarkable toughness, impact resistance, and formability. Nickel 200 alloy seamless pipe can withstand internal pressures and undergo the necessary cold bending during installation. Furthermore, cold working significantly increases strength, albeit with a corresponding decrease in ductility, providing flexibility in process adjustments to meet specific mechanical property requirements.
Corrosion Resistance
UNS N02200's most notable characteristic is its corrosion resistance, particularly in reducing media and alkaline environments. It exhibits excellent resistance to caustic alkalis such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, remaining stable in nearly all concentrations and temperatures, making it an ideal material for the alkali industry. It is also relatively stable in neutral salt solutions, seawater, and organic media. It also exhibits good corrosion resistance in dry chlorine and hydrogen chloride gases, as well as dry fluorine gas at room temperature.
Processing and Welding Properties
UNS N02200 exhibits excellent process ability. Its cold working characteristics are similar to those of mild steel, making it easily adaptable to forming operations such as cold bending and flaring. Hot working is recommended within the temperature range of 870°C to 1230°C. The material also exhibits excellent weld ability and can be welded using common welding methods such as tungsten inert gas welding, metal inert gas welding, and shielded metal arc welding. Furthermore, recrystallization annealing after cold working or welding can be used to restore plasticity and relieve stress.
ASTM B163 UNS N02200 Seamless Pipe Manufacturing Process
Raw Material Preparation and Hot Piercing
UNS N02200 round steel is uniformly heated and held in a furnace at approximately 1130°C to achieve optimal plasticity. On a tapered roller piercing mill, the hot billet is punched into a thick-walled hollow tube by the action of the rollers and plugs to prevent defects such as internal and external cracks and plug marks.
Intermediate Cold Rolling and Surface Treatment
The hot-pierced tubes are first cleaned, polished internally and externally, and spot-grinded to remove scale and minor defects. Each tube is then inspected using an endoscope to ensure inner wall quality. The intermediate cold rolling stage then occurs, typically on a multi-roll cold rolling mill. This process uses controlled deformation at low rolling speeds and feed rates to reduce wall thickness and improve dimensional accuracy and surface finish.
After rolling, the billet undergoes cleaning steps such as alkali soaking for degreasing and hot water rinsing, and is then straightened to ensure straightness. Surface treatment of the intermediate product is particularly critical, often requiring multiple steps such as rough polishing, spot grinding, and fine polishing, followed by visual and endoscopic inspection to achieve a high-quality surface finish.
Final Cold Rolling and Forming
After thorough preparation, the intermediate product enters the final cold rolling stage. Deformation at this stage is typically controlled at 55%-65%, but dimensional accuracy requirements are extremely stringent, requiring outer diameter deviations to be within ±0.1mm, and significantly narrowing the wall thickness tolerance. Final cold rolling not only further improves the dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the steel pipe, but more importantly, the intense cold deformation refines the internal grain size.
Heat Treatment
After cold rolling, the finished steel pipe is heat treated in a bright annealing furnace filled with a pure hydrogen atmosphere to prevent oxidation. For UNS N02200, the annealing temperature is controlled at 635±10°C, and the holding time is calculated based on the wall thickness.
Finishing, Inspection, and Packaging
The heat-treated steel pipe undergoes finishing to meet final requirements. This involves fine straightening using nylon or plastic roller straighteners to ensure high straightness with a curvature of ≤0.5mm/m. This is followed by comprehensive non-destructive testing and hydrostatic testing to verify internal integrity and pressure-bearing capacity.
The tube cutting process ensures accurate lengths and thoroughly removes internal and external burrs. Because pure nickel is relatively soft, to prevent scratches, rubber rings are applied to each tube throughout the finishing, shipping, and even packaging processes. Specialized protective blanking racks are used, and manual handling is employed to ensure the quality of the finished product.
ASTM B163 UNS N02200 Seamless Pipe Parameter
Product Standard: ASTM B163
Alloy Grade: UNS N02200 (Nickel 200)
Nickel Content: ≥ 99.0% (Ni+Co)
Chemical Composition (%)
Carbon (C) ≤ 0.15%, Manganese (Mn) ≤ 0.35%, Silicon (Si) ≤ 0.35%, Sulfur (S) ≤ 0.010%, Iron (Fe) ≤ 0.40%, Copper (Cu) ≤ 0.25
Physical Properties
- Density: 8.89 g/cm³
- Melting Point Range: 1435 - 1445 °C
- Thermal Conductivity (100°C): 67.1 W/m·K
- Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (20-100°C): 13.3 µm/m·°C
Size Range
- Outer Diameter (OD): Typically covers 10 mm to 219 mm, with ODs of 76.2 mm (3 inches) and below as standard.
- Wall Thickness (WT): Typically covers 0.5 mm to 10 mm, with a minimum wall thickness of 3.76 mm (0.148 inches) and below as standard.
- Length (L): Up to 15,000 mm available.
Supply Conditions
- Soft (Annealed, M): Highly ductile, facilitating subsequent forming.
- Hard (Y): Higher strength.
ASTM B163 UNS N02200 Seamless Pipe Applications
ASTM B163 UNS N02200 seamless pipe plays an important role in key equipment across multiple industrial sectors due to its excellent corrosion resistance, good thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and processability.
Chemical Industry and Oil & Gas
In the chemical and oil & gas industries, UNS N02200 seamless pipe, due to its exceptional resistance to corrosion from caustic sodas such as sodium hydroxide, is widely used in the manufacture of pressure vessels, reactors, pipelines, valves, and pumps handling highly corrosive media such as acids and alkalis. During oil and gas extraction and refining, this type of pipe effectively withstands harsh chemical environments, ensuring safe and stable operation throughout the production cycle.
Energy and Power
The energy and power industry, particularly thermal and nuclear power plants, places extremely high demands on the reliability and durability of materials used in key components under high temperatures and high pressures. UNS N02200 seamless pipe, due to its excellent high-temperature strength and structural stability, is commonly used in the manufacture of heat exchange tubes for boilers, superheaters, reheaters, and condensers.
Food and Pharmaceutical Processing
UNS N02200 material is non-toxic and corrosion-resistant, meeting food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade standards. It is commonly used in food processing equipment exposed to acidic or alkaline ingredients, as well as in piping systems and reaction vessels in the pharmaceutical industry, which require high cleanliness and chemical resistance. It effectively prevents metal ion contamination and ensures product purity and safety.
Ocean and Ship Engineering
UNS N02200 seamless pipe exhibits excellent corrosion resistance to seawater and is suitable for use in seawater desalination plants, ship seawater cooling systems, subsea pipelines, and critical piping on offshore platforms. Its high toughness and strength also well withstand the mechanical shock and pressure fluctuations encountered in marine environments.
Aerospace
In the aerospace sector, UNS N02200 seamless pipe is used to manufacture hydraulic lines, fuel lines, and heat exchange system components in aircraft and spacecraft. The specific electrical and thermal properties derived from its high-purity nickel may also find applications in precision electronics, instrumentation, and thermal management equipment.
Conclusion
Our company's ASTM B163 UNS N02200 seamless pipe provides critical support for your applications in demanding environments. This product exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and dimensional accuracy. JN offers soft or hardened steel to meet diverse processing requirements. We ensure that every pipe undergoes rigorous quality control processes, including ultrasonic testing and hydrostatic testing, to ensure safe and reliable product delivery.
If you have any specific requirements, please submit a detailed inquiry today and our professional team will provide you with a customized solution and quote.
