The considered zirconium products are irreplaceable in certain high-tech industries. Considering high material corrosive and chemical stability, strength (including under high temperatures) and such specific properties as neutron transparency they are perfect for nuclear reactor cores.
Zirconium pipes and/or tubes of small diameter can be purchased by placing a special order at the manufacturing enterprise. Usually this takes a lot of time and is rather expensive. Metotechnics Company offers a certain size range from thin-walled tubes to products with medium and large diameter stored at a warehouse in Moscow. The order can be made on the prices page on the website, via e-mail or by phone.
See the corresponding sections of this page for the properties of zirconium pipe products, their production, application, and grades.
Grades
Products are made of a rather pure zirconium: E110, E125, and Э635 alloys. All above-mentioned grades contain different amounts of niobium (Nb). E110, Э635 include 0.90-1.10% of Nb, E125 - 2.40-2.70% correspondingly. Apart from niobium (Nb) the chemical composition of Э635 alloy also includes tin (Sn), iron (Fe), oxygen (O) and silicon (Si) - 1.10-1.40%; 0.30-0.47; 0.05-0.12%, and 0.0050-0.0200% correspondingly.
The chemical composition of the above-mentioned materials is regulated by TC 95.166-83 standard.
Production
Zirconium pipes can be divided into seamless and shell ones. The wall thickness is their main difference. The first group (thick-walled) are rather thick (in mm) - from 3.0 to 4.6 and from 7.0 to 13.5 depending on the diameter. They also have a big Ø - 88-89 mm, maximum length - 8 m. Products of the second group (thin-walled or tubes), vice versa, have wall thickness less 1 mm - 0.62; 0.63; 0.85 depending on the diameter that is 9-13 mm. Specifically, the limit of the product length is 4.5 m. The name “shell” is derived from the application as these pipes are applied as shells of heat-producing elements of nuclear reactors (see Application section).
Zirconium ingots serve as the primary raw materials for manufacturing the products. In simplified form the technological process of producing zirconium pipes contains the following operations: forging ingots into rods => producing pipe workpieces by hot working=> hot extrusion of thick-walled (seamless) pipes => cold rolling => thermal and chemical processing of internal and external surfaces (pickling) => levelling.
Product sizes and their tolerances, supply condition, mechanical properties, and other technological properties are given in TC 95.166-83 standard.
Application
Nuclear and chemical industry are the main consumers of pipe products. Zirconium tubes and pipes combine several properties critical for the above-mentioned industries:
high corrosive resistance, in particular, in an extremely hostile environment;
good strength properties, in particular, under high temperatures (refractoriness, high-temperature strength);
special properties.
The main application of zirconium pipes are shells for heat-producing elements of nuclear reactors. A heat-producing element is the main construction element of a nuclear reactor core containing nuclear fuel.
Prices
The list of pipe products available for ordering on the website, by phone or via e-mail so as prices for zirconium pipes and tubes are given in Cost section.
Calculate zirconium product mass
