Analysis of the performance and application differences between industrial ceramic pipes and ordinary steel pipes

In the modern industrial fluid conveying system, the selection of pipeline directly affects the reliability, economy and service life of the system operation. As two types of typical conveying pipes, industrial ceramic pipes and ordinary steel pipes have significant differences in material properties, manufacturing processes, performance and application scenarios. The following will be a systematic analysis from the technical level :   

1.Comparison of material composition and manufacturing process

( 1 ) Industrial ceramic pipeline   

Industrial ceramic pipes are mainly made of high-hardness inorganic non-metallic materials such as alumina ( Al 2O 3 ) and zirconia ( ZrO 2 ), and are manufactured by advanced powder metallurgy technology. The production process includes : firstly, the high purity ceramic raw materials are accurately mixed and uniformly mixed, and the green bodies are prepared by isostatic pressing, injection molding and other processes, and then sintered in a high temperature kiln at 1600-1800 °C. The process enables the formation of a dense crystal structure between ceramic particles, and finally obtains a high-performance pipeline product with a hardness of up to Mohs 9 and a microhardness of 1500-2000 HV. Special processes such as hot isostatic pressing ( HIP ) or reaction sintering technology can further optimize the microstructure of materials and improve the comprehensive performance of products.

( 2 ) Ordinary steel pipe The ordinary steel pipe is based on carbon steel or low alloy steel, and the manufacturing process mainly covers three links : steelmaking, continuous casting and pipe rolling. The iron ore is reduced to molten steel by converter or electric arc furnace in the process of steel-making, and the tube billet is made by continuous casting technology after refining treatment. Subsequently, through hot rolling or cold rolling process, the tube blank is processed into seamless or welded steel pipe that meets the standard. The process has high maturity and significant production efficiency, but limited by material properties, its physical and chemical properties are single, and it needs to be optimized by surface treatment or alloying.   

2. Comparison of key performance parameters   

( 1 ) Wear resistance

With its ultra-high hardness and low friction coefficient ( μ ≈ 0.15 ), industrial ceramic pipes show excellent wear resistance under solid particle conveying conditions. Taking alumina ceramic pipe as an example, its wear resistance is 10-20 times that of ordinary carbon steel, and its service life can reach more than 5 times that of traditional steel pipe in mine slurry transportation. However, the ordinary steel pipe ( Brinell hardness HB 150-250 ) is prone to local erosion wear and fatigue spalling under the action of high wear medium, especially in the elbow, tee and other parts, the wear rate is significantly increased.

( 2 ) Corrosion resistance   

The ceramic material has excellent chemical stability and strong resistance to strong acid ( such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid ), strong alkali ( such as sodium hydroxide ) and salt solution. In the typical medium of chemical industry ( such as 98 % concentrated sulfuric acid, 30 % sodium hydroxide solution ), the corrosion rate of industrial ceramic pipeline is less than 0.01 mm / year, which is far lower than the corrosion resistance standard stipulated in GB / T 15589-2016. In contrast, ordinary steel pipes are prone to electrochemical corrosion in a corrosive environment, forming a rust layer that causes the wall thickness of the pipeline to be thinned, and regular maintenance of the anti-corrosion coating is required.   

( 3 ) High temperature resistance    

The melting point of industrial ceramic materials generally exceeds 2000 °C, and it can still maintain more than 90 % room temperature strength at 800-1200 °C, which can meet the transportation requirements of high temperature furnace gas ( 1100 °C ) in iron and steel metallurgy industry and molten material ( 1300 °C ) in glass manufacturing industry. Ordinary steel pipe is affected by ferrite phase transformation. When the temperature exceeds 450 °C, the yield strength decreases by more than 30 %, and special heat-resistant steel grade or heat insulation measures should be adopted.