A major field of application for the weldable supermartensitic stainless steels is the oil and gas industry, where they offer an attractive alternative for subsea flowlines. Statoil has pioneered the use of supermartensitics for the Gullfaks Satellites and Åsgard fields in the North Sea. In addition to 122 kilometers of flowline in the Gulfaks area and 137 kilometers on Äsgard, 13% Cr steel has also been used for a nine-kilometer line linking Statoil's Loke satellite with its Sleipner A platform. The next project will be Huldra, which will be tied back to the Veslefrikk field 17 kilometres away. Other future projects where supermartensitics will be seriously considered include Kristin in the Norwegian Sea and Snøhvit in the Barents Sea. Plans also call for the new flowline material to be used on a Statoil gas field offshore Vietnam. Other oil companies such as Norsk Hydro, BP and Shell have also adopted supermartensitic stainless steels in their projects.
Another major application is the NAM Groningen Long Term (GLT) development in the Netherlands, which requires the overhaul of 30 well clusters. NAM is furthermore considering using the alloys for a number of onshore and offshore pipelines connecting satellites to a central processing facility.
Although supermartensitics alloys have so far mainly been used for flowlines they offer a wide range of potential applications such as process and piping components and also rigid risers.
For further reading on experiences and qualification procedures, you can find some interesting papers below. Please also check the Library and Reference page.
Experience in the use of EFC -17 for Qualification of Super Martensitic Stainless Steels Girth Welds,
By Stein Olsen et al, Statoil, Norway, Stainless Steel Supermartensitics 99 (Paper S99-10)
Qualification and application limits of weldable supermartensitic 13 Cr Linepipe
By Sytze Huizinga and R.K. Ohm, Shell Global Solutions International, the Netherlands, Stainless Steel World August 2001.
Nam pushes ahead with supermartensitics
By Esther Martensen, Stainless Steel World August 2001
Martensitic Stainless Steel Flowlines - Do they Pay?
By Liane Smith (Intetech Ltd) and Mario Celant (MaC), Supermartensitic Stainless Steels 99 (Paper S99-8)
Vices and virtues of supermartensitic stainless steels
By Patrick Toussaint, Usinor Industeel Charleroy and Hans van der Winden, Fairwind Materials Consultancy, the Netherlands, Stainless Steel World 2001 (Paper P0180)