Sumitomo Metals to Expand Output Capacity for USC Stainless Steel Tube

Sumitomo Metal Industries will expand output capacity for boiler tube by 50% to 18,000 tonnes per year from current 12,000 tonnes with about 6.5 billion yen of investment. The firm will introduce one cold drawing machine, one heat treat furnace and other incidental facilities at the special steel pipe plant in Amagasaki City of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in order to meet strong demand for ultra super critical pressure stainless steel boiler tube used in coal thermal power plant. The construction for the output expansion will finish by September 2007. Tsutomu Ando, senior vice president of Sumitomo Metals, said the firm completes strategic investment to set steel tube as the most advanced business of the firm along its midterm plan including seamless steel pipe produces at Wakayama works and high strength line pipe at Kashima works.Ultra Super Critical boiler (USC) can raise efficiency of electric power generation remarkably with over 556 degrees Celsius of steam temperature and over 24 mega Pascal of steam pressure. Sumitomo Metals has austenite stainless steel tube containing 18% chromium, called Super 304H, that has the most resistance for high temperature, and HR3C containing 25% chromium, which is used in high temperature at 600 degrees Celsius and high pressure at 30 mega Pascal. The firm holds 100% market share for ultra super critical pressure stainless boiler tube in Japan.