Infrastructure Projects Worldwide Depend on Steel Manufacture and Delivery

Enormous projects worldwide, including those in emerging economies like those of Brazil, India, and China, are undertaking infrastructure projects that require materials including ASME structural steel. Suppliers must speak the language of infrastructure engineers in order to meet project needs efficiently. At Corpac Steel Products, our ASME structural steelcan be delivered to your project wherever you're located on the globe.

Commercial and Industrial Buildings

Growth in urban areas is resource intensive and concrete and steel are the two main building materials in demand for commercial and industrial structures. Engineers and contractors have to be confident that the I-beams, hollow structural sections, C-cross sections, and open web steel joints they require will be ready to go as soon as the project demands. This requires the structural steel supplier to have a strong network of mills and freight forwarders to meet demand.

Land Infrastructure Projects

Rail and highway infrastructure projects require massive quantities of steel, and often these products must be "last mile" delivered in challenging conditions. After all, these projects may bring transportation networks to places they've never been before. Choosing a steel supplier with extensive logistics experience is critical to ensuring that projects proceed on schedule and within budgets. Not only must the product be right, the delivery has to be right as well.

Water Infrastructure Projects

Harbor berths and seawalls require structural pipe, and these products must withstand environmental conditions that are harsh. Specific steel formulations are available to work in demanding water environments, including salt water environments. When your steel supplier has experience supplying water infrastructure projects, they can tap their worldwide network of manufacturers to ensure timely delivery while helping you keep costs under control.

Petroleum Exploration

Many new potential oil and gas fields have been found in recent years, and they're located everywhere from the Russian Arctic to the tropical waters off the coast of South America. Petroleum exploration and drilling are structural steel-intensive industries, due to the demands of the rigs, the drill pipes, and transport pipelines associated with them. At Corpac Steel Products, we have the experience that those in the petroleum, land, or water infrastructure sectors require to carry out their projects successfully.

Offshore Pipeline Projects Continue to Address Global Energy Demand

Offshore pipeline projects are thriving in a world where developing economies account for ever-increasing demand for petroleum products. Offshore pipeline suppliers have to be ready to deliver products the international petroleum industry requires. In addition to transport pipe, offshore pipeline suppliers may deliver drill pipe and structural steel. At Corpac Steel Products, our reputation for quality products and superior logistics makes us the go-to choice for offshore projects.

Projects in the North Sea

The UK is busy with its Greater Stella Area project in the central North Sea, which includes four wells, and all the sub-sea structures and related infrastructure, such as a drill center manifold, and oil and gas export assemblies. Without steel, exploration and export of petroleum from these valuable offshore pipeline projects simply could not be attempted.

Russia's Arctic Pipeline Network

Russia's vast oil pipeline network is extending offshore in the Arctic, as exploration gets underway for crude oil in the icy Kara Sea. A pipeline in northern Siberia could be extended to Taz Bay if oil resources are found. More than 60% of Russia's oil is produced in Siberia, and engineers and geologists hope that offshore drilling will discover an extension of Siberia's oil-rich geology. With temperatures below minus 60 Centigrade and thick ice, drilling and pipeline infrastructure will have to withstand harsh conditions.

South American Pipeline Projects

Drilling and transport in the Gulf of Venezuela is underway, with multiple drilling platforms and an offshore pipeline of 67 km being constructed. Platforms some 300 km off the coasts of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are being constructed, as are two offshore pipelines in waters that reach depths of 2,200 meters.

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline

Albania, Italy, and Greece are coordinating support for the natural gas Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, a network of pipelines designed to add competition to Europe's energy sector. If constructed, the pipeline would carry up to 700 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year across part of the Adriatic, depending on supply and demand. Massive international drilling and transport are the future of petroleum, and steel pipeline suppliers like Corpac Steel Products are there to meet demand for drill pipe, transport pipe, and structural steel.

Worldwide Infrastructure Depends on Steel Pipes and Structural Steel

Roads, bridges, buildings, and pipelines all depend on steel in order to serve their purposes. It's not difficult to find a steel tubing supplier, even in developing economies. But just because a company calls itself a steel tubing supplier doesn't mean it can meet your steel tubing, steel pipe, and structural steel needs. At Corpac Steel Products we are logistics experts and know exactly how to get your products to you so as to maximize project efficiency.

Water Infrastructure

Water infrastructure around the world is being built up continually, particularly in societies that are pursuing major urban initiatives like China. Water infrastructure in other places requires extension and sometimes repair. Steel continues to be a material of choice in water infrastructure, on large and small scales. The best suppliers have the engineering expertise to ensure products meet specs and projects meet schedules.

Structural Steel and Building Infrastructure

Structural steel comes in a variety of cross-sectional shapes and sizes and makes up significant portions of commercial and industrial buildings. When your structural steel supplier understands the "whys" behind a particular design, they can advise you properly when it's time to order structural steel. And if your project is in a remote area or in another country, they should be able to tap a worldwide network to deliver products safely and on time.

Oil and Gas Infrastructure

Oil and gas pipelines will only become more extensive as worldwide energy demand continues to increase. Steel tubing distributors with experience in drill string production, OCTG products, and the various international standards that apply to the oil and gas industry are the ones you should call on when your project is a drill rig or a transmission pipeline.

Your Distributor Should Do More than Sell You Tubing

Anyone can sell you steel tubing. But steel tubingdistributors with an extensive background in the projects their products are used in and the logistics expertise necessary to bring products to their "last mile" are the only ones you should consider. At Corpac Steel Products, we not only understand our products thoroughly, we also have extensive knowledge of shipping, customs, the most appropriate steel transport methods for your needs.

The Many Challenges of Today's Steel Pipe and Tubing Supplier

Pipe manufacturers face big challenges in developing and processing materials used in line pipe, drill pipe, and API tubing. The steeltubing supplier has to be prepared with large-diameter, longitudinally welded line pipe for oil and gas transport, and other products that accommodate high operating pressures and severe environmental conditions. Steel must possess high strength, good weldability, and optimized geometry. Does your steel tubing supplier deliver all this? At Corpac Steel Products, we have the technical and logistics expertise to meet demand impeccably.

High Strength Steels: A Brief Overview

High strength steels for use in API tubing, line pipe, and drill pipe benefited from thermomechanical rolling that replaced some hot rolling and normalizing in the 1970s. Alloying steels with niobium and vanadium has reduced carbon content in some steel pipes. Thermomechanical rolling was supplemented with accelerated cooling in the 1980s, making even higher strength materials possible while retaining excellent weldability.

Development and Production of High Strength Steels

The use of molybdenum, nickel, and copper now allow even higher strength steels when the steel is processed into plate form by thermomechanical rolling and accelerated cooling. In general, longitudinally welded line pipe of large diameter is used for petroleum transport because it offers improved safety and better cost effectiveness while permitting high operating pressures for pipeline.

Microstructure in Line Pipe Steel

Conventionally rolled and normalized steels show coarse ferrite grain size with banded ferrite and pearlite. Higher grade rolled steels show more uniform microstructure along with finer ferrite grains. When thermomechanical rolling is followed by accelerated cooling, the result is an even more uniform and very fine microstructure, giving the steel and the pipe and tubing it is made into improved properties including superior strength and safety.

Growth in Global Energy Consumption Necessitates Expert Pipe Logistics

The steel tubing supplier today must keep pipe prices down while providing the highest quality for natural gas and oil transport. Predicted growth in worldwide energy consumption will necessitate steel tubing and line pipe that works in severe environmental conditions, transporting oil and gas to end users. At Corpac Steel Products, we are at the forefront of technology and logistics and ready to meet worldwide challenges today.

Pipeline and Drilling Projects Can't Settle for Less than Superior Products and Services

Petroleum drilling and transport have stepped up worldwide due to increasing demand, particularly in emerging economies like China's and India's. From offshore pipeline to land-based drill strings, the demand for API 5L pipe and related pipe and tubing makes strategic worldwide distribution of these products indispensable to the global economy. At Corpac Steel Products, our reputation is built on meeting demand, keeping costs contained, and consistently meeting or exceeding customer expectations.

The Products

API 5L pipe isn't the whole story, and petroleum isn't the only industry that needs uncompromising steel pipe and tubing products. Locating the products themselves is only the first step. Buyers have to be confident of product quality, and they have to be able to rely on their suppliers to transport the products to the last mile, even if it means crossing international borders multiple times on the way.

The Costs

Costs must be considered in context. A low price on a product doesn't mean anything if the product arrives late and puts a project behind schedule. Costs must be evaluated along with reputation, networks, logistics, and experience to be meaningful to a particular project. That said, there are suppliers who are able to keep a lid on costs through exemplary efficiency and worldwide networks of manufacturing and inventory location.

The Logistics

Not all steel pipe and tubing suppliers have the logistics expertise to cope flawlessly with the demands from an offshore pipeline project or construction of a steel structure in a remote location. It's best if you know the name of your supplier's logistics coordinator and have a point of contact that you don't have to educate about your requirements. Logistics expertise saves time, and time is money, particularly with major drilling or infrastructure projects.

The Worldwide Network

Your project may be located in a remote part of the world, so getting your steel pipe and tubing, or structural steel products delivered in a timely manner often depends on your supplier having an extensive worldwide network of mills and inventory. At Corpac Steel Products, we believe in superior products, and the network required to get them to customers on time while containing costs.

With Steel Pipes, Quality, Expertise, and Customer Service Are Critical

Steel pipes have been used with confidence for years in many industries such as

           ·          Commercial construction

           ·          Electric power generation

           ·          The petroleum industry

           ·          Shipbuilding

With superior strength and durability, steel is the product of choice in many industries, and your steel pipe supplier must meet or exceed expectations. Your steel supplier should be able to provide the exact product you need at a competitive price, get it to you on time, and provide optimum service throughout the purchasing process.

Today You're Faced with Many Choices

A combination of a world economic downturn that began in 2008, plus emerging world economies in India, China, and Brazil have resulted in more choices than ever for those who need steel products. All choices are not equal, however, and you must research your options carefully to ensure you get the level of quality that your project demands.

Without a Quality Product, You Have Nothing

Many projects require steel that meets specifications made by standards organizations like the American Petroleum Institute, ASTM, and the International Organization for Standardization. When you are certain that your steel pipe supplier's products meet the relevant standards, you have the confidence to put your crew to work, knowing they are dealing with high quality materials. Without this confidence, materials failure could cause scheduling problems or worse, safety problems.

Expertise in Logistics Is Necessary for Today's Projects

You may be a US-based company working on a project in another country in a remote region where delivery is a challenge. Does your steel supplier have experience in getting product to similar projects? When suppliers have to cross multiple international boundaries to get products to you, you need to know that they have dealt with similar issues and helped their customers' projects succeed.

Customer Service Makes a Tremendous Difference

When you have questions about products, schedules, or logistics, your steel supplier should be available to answer them. Customer service issues should never get in the way of completing a project successfully. At Corpac Steel Products, we are committed to the highest quality products, the logistics support you need, and customer service that will bring you back for your next project.

The Steel Supplier for Offshore Application Faces Many Challenges

Ambient hydraulic pressure and bending associated with it are concerns with deepwater pipelines. Pipes need lower diameter to thickness ratios and should be made from higher strength materials for these applications. At Corpac Steel Products, we understand how pipe manufacturing and various coatings can alter stress-strain behavior in offshore pipeline applications. Today's projects are located in ever more remote areas and expose pipe to more extreme conditions than in the past. Can your steel supplier meet these challenges?

Concerns at Different Stages of Manufacture

When steel is manufactured, its chemical composition, cleanness, and surface quality are the primary determinants of its quality. At the plate stage of manufacture, slab reheating, rolling parameter, and cooling parameter affect plate microstructure, mechanical properties, and resistance to corrosion. Formation of pipes must address pipe and weld geometry, weld quality, mechanical properties, and residual stresses on the pipe. Ensure that your supplier understands all aspects of the manufacturing process.

What Today's Market Demands

Today's petroleum projects demand (among other things) steel purity that is up to the challenges of transporting sour gas, high strength steels that demand superior plate rolling and pipe formation, and arctic grade pipe that demands the highest quality longitudinal seam welding. Pipe geometry for deep sea applications must meet tough specifications due to hydraulic pressures and chemical reactions in these environments.

Concerns of Submerged Arc Welded Seams

Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance must meet stringent toughness and hardness specifications, which have to do with welding parameters like consumables and base metals. Misalignment of weld shapes or problems with weld linearity can cause problems in offshore applications. It's critical for project managers to work with suppliers with the engineering expertise to understand exactly what is needed and why it's needed.

Delivery Logistics Effects on Schedule and Budget

Corpac Steel Products understands that having the products that meet specifications is only part of the job. Getting the products to customers quickly, safely, conveniently, and cost-effectively is critical too. A supplier's distribution system can have serious effects on schedules and budgets when there are problems. Choose a supplier with widespread industry experience and the logistics know-how to deliver on promises consistently.