Japan Integrated Steels Prepare for Newly Standardized High-Strength Pipes

High strength steel pipe with X90, X100 and X120 strength grade will be universally standardized by next spring. High Strength Line Pipe Review Committee of American Petroleum Institute (API) decided to put the final draft for the world uniform standard to ballot in each country and form the vote within 2006. The new standard would be the integration of API standard and ISO standard. API has international standards for oil pipes and linepipes. Japanese 3 integrated steel makers, Nippon Steel, JFE Steel and Sumitomo Metal Industry, will lay out the framework for commercial production of high strength steel pipe with above X80 strength grade in order to meet the demand from international oil majors.

The highest strength of API standard is X80 grade at present. API’s working group, Item 4193 drew up the first draft of the uniform standard for X90, X100 and X120 which exceed X80 strength grade involving UOE steel pipe and spiral steel pipe. In the new draft, API’s new standard “44 edition” and ISO 3183 were integrated.

Oil majors have sought more efficiency and cost reduction in natural gas transport by the improvement of steel pipe strength.High strength linpipe with X100 class grade is probably adopted to the natural gas pipeline project connecting 5,000 kilometers long from Alaska to US cities to start gas supply in 2015. There are also many gas pipeline projects in Central Asia, Europe, India and China. The projects in these regions also demand higher strength steel pipes.