Recently, a batch of U-shaped cooling tubes made of Grade 12 (TA10) titanium alloy was officially shipped and will be used in chemical heat exchange systems. The successful delivery of this batch of products once again demonstrates the technological strength of my country's titanium processing enterprises in high-end heat-exchange tube manufacturing.
Gr12 titanium alloy is a medium-strength, corrosion-resistant titanium alloy made by adding alloying elements such as nickel (Ni) and molybdenum (Mo) to industrial pure titanium. It possesses both excellent corrosion resistance and good machinability. In various media environments, Gr12 exhibits superior corrosion resistance in seawater, wet chlorine gas, chloride solutions, oxidizing and weakly reducing media, its corrosion resistance far exceeds that of stainless steel, copper alloys, and aluminum alloys, with negligible annual corrosion rates, extending equipment service life by several to tens of times. The addition of nickel significantly improves the alloy's resistance to crevice corrosion in hydrochloric acid solutions, while molybdenum further enhances its stability in reducing environments. Gr12 also exhibits excellent resistance to crevice corrosion in hot brine environments, maintaining long-term stability under harsh conditions.
Furthermore, Gr12 alloy maintains high strength levels even at high temperatures, with a tensile strength of ≥ 480 MPa, a yield strength of ≥ 345 MPa, a thermal conductivity of approximately 22.6 W/m ·K, and a density of 4.51g/cm³. Due to its higher strength, Gr12 can be used with thinner tube walls than industrial pure titanium (Gr2) under the same operating conditions, thus achieving material weight reduction and optimized heat exchange efficiency.
The U-shaped cooling tubes shipped this time are the core heat exchange elements in shell-and-tube heat exchangers. The U-shaped tube structure has unique advantages-each tube is bent into a U-shape, with both ends fixed to the same tube sheet, allowing the tube bundle to expand and contract freely without the need for expansion joints, effectively absorbing thermal stress. This structural characteristic makes U-tube heat exchangers particularly suitable for applications with large temperature differences between the tube-side and shell-side media, and where the shell-side media is prone to scaling and requires cleaning. Especially when the tube-side flows through high-temperature, high-pressure, and highly corrosive materials, the U-tube structure, combined with the excellent corrosion resistance of titanium, becomes the optimal solution.
Titanium and titanium alloy cooling tubes have a wide range of applications. In marine engineering and seawater desalination, coastal power plants, ship central cooling systems, and multi-effect evaporators (MEDs) all use titanium tubes as key heat exchange components. Their resistance to chloride ion corrosion allows them to have a lifespan exceeding 15 years in seawater environments. In the chemical and petrochemical industries, titanium tubes are widely used to replace traditional graphite equipment in wet chlorine coolers and electrolytic cell anolyte heat exchangers in the chlor-alkali industry, extending equipment lifespan by more than five times. Titanium tubes are also indispensable for heat exchange of highly corrosive media in fine chemical processes such as acetic acid concentration and propylene oxide production. In the power and new energy sectors, titanium tube bundles are widely used in power plant flue gas seawater heat exchange systems for waste heat recovery. They are also extensively used in lithium battery electrolyte cooling in the new energy field to avoid contamination from copper or stainless steel ions.
Besides marine engineering and chemical engineering, titanium cooling tubes play an irreplaceable role in electrolyte heat exchange in the metallurgical and electroplating industries, diesel engine cylinder liner water coolers and lubricating oil coolers in the marine and transportation sectors, and high-purity processes for heating and cooling water for injection (WFI) in the pharmaceutical and food industries. In environmental protection fields such as high-salinity wastewater treatment and landfill leachate treatment, titanium tubes effectively extend equipment maintenance cycles due to their excellent resistance to ammonia-nitrogen-sulfide composite corrosion.,
Regarding manufacturing standards, titanium U-tubes can comply with multiple domestic and international standards, including Chinese national standards GB/T3625 and GB/T3624, and American standards ASTM B338/ASME SB338, ASTM B861/ASME SB861, and ASTM B862/ASME SB862. The product range covers various titanium and titanium alloy grades, including Gr1, Gr2, Gr7, Gr9 (TA18), and Gr12 (TA10), and can be customized to meet user needs.
According to industry research data, the global titanium tube market size is estimated at approximately US$1.473 billion in 2025. The application of titanium tubes in aerospace, chemical, marine engineering, and energy equipment continues to expand. With its excellent corrosion resistance, good heat transfer efficiency, and lightweight advantages, titanium and titanium alloy heat exchanger tubes are rapidly penetrating more high-end industrial fields.
The Gr12 titanium U-shaped cooling tubes shipped this time are manufactured using high-standard processes and have undergone rigorous ball-passing and hydrostatic testing, ensuring reliable quality and excellent performance. They will effectively serve the operational needs of end-user heat exchange equipment. The company will continue to deepen its expertise in titanium material processing, providing high-quality titanium and titanium alloy heat exchanger tube products to customers both domestically and internationally.
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