Mild Steel Tube Or Galvanized Pipe: Which Is Better for Natural Gas Pipelines?

In today's energy transportation field, the safety, durability and economy of natural gas pipelines are crucial. However, faced with many choices of pipeline materials, many people hesitate between mild steel tube and galvanized pipe. Should I choose mild steel tubes or galvanized pipes? Natural gas pipelines generally use mild steel tubes as the main material. Why choose mild steel tubes instead of galvanized pipes?

What is mild steel tube

Mild steel tube refers to a steel pipe with a carbon content of less than 0.25%. It is a type of carbon steel pipe with generally good strength and toughness. Mild steel tubes are mainly used to manufacture machine parts, structural parts, axles, wheels, etc., because they have high compressive strength, excellent toughness, wear resistance and weldability, and can meet the use requirements under various strengths and impact loads. In addition, mild steel tubes can also be processed into various shapes of products by hot rolling, cold rolling and stamping.

What is galvanized pipe

Galvanized pipe is made of ordinary carbon structural steel after pickling, patting, and soaking in mercury or zinc solution. It has good anti-corrosion performance and can be rusted by oxidants in the air under the catalysis of catalysts, thus forming a dense protective layer, which greatly improves its corrosion resistance. Galvanized pipes can be widely used in chemical, light industry, metallurgy, construction, shipbuilding, railways, automobiles and other industries, and have a wide market demand.

Difference between mild steel tube and galvanized pipe

Although mild steel tube and galvanized pipe both belong to the category of steel pipe, there are great differences in their materials and uses. Mild steel tube is a pipe made of low-carbon steel as raw material, which has high strength and wear resistance, while galvanized pipe mainly improves its corrosion resistance through surface galvanizing. From the perspective of use, mild steel tube has excellent mechanical properties. In some fields with high strength requirements, such as drill pipe and oil casing pipe manufacturing in oil extraction, mild steel tube or carbon steel pipe with similar carbon content will be given priority to ensure performance in harsh environments. Galvanized pipes are more commonly used in general industrial and construction fields that have high requirements for corrosion resistance and relatively less stringent requirements for strength.

Galvanized pipes or mild steel tubes, which is better for natural gas pipelines?

The selection of materials for natural gas pipelines needs to consider multiple factors such as gas safety, pipeline stability, and service life. At present, natural gas pipelines generally use mild steel tubes as the main material. Compared with galvanized pipes, mild steel tubes have the following three advantages:

1. Stronger corrosion resistance

The inner wall of mild steel tubes is smooth and not easy to corrode, while the zinc layer of galvanized pipes is prone to fatigue damage as the gas load changes, affecting its service life.

2. Better mechanical properties

Mild steel tubes are not only strong, but also have good plasticity and can withstand large gas loads. Its durability far exceeds that of galvanized pipes, especially in high-pressure and high-flow natural gas transportation, where mild steel tubes perform better.

3. More pressure-resistant

Natural gas pipelines need to withstand higher pressures, and the high-strength material of mild steel tubes enables them to easily meet this requirement. In contrast, the zinc layer of galvanized pipes is easily damaged under high-pressure environments and cannot provide sufficient safety guarantees.

Summary

In order to ensure the safety of natural gas pipelines, it is recommended to use mild steel tubes as the main material for natural gas pipelines. At the same time, strict control should be exercised during the design, manufacturing and transportation of pipelines to ensure multiple factors such as the safety and service life of the pipelines.