The seamless steel pipe industry is almost one century old. The prime reason for the development was provided by transportation sector. Petroleum sector consumes largest quantities of seamless tubes. The Indian seamless tube industry is about 55 Years old.
Seamless pipe as the name suggests is a pipe without a seam or a weld-joint in contrast to Seam or Welded pipe. In a Seam or Welded pipe, the seam or the weld-joint is the weaker part of the pipe limiting the strength of the pipe to the strength of the weld-joint. Whereas the seamless pipe does not have any such joint and thus has uniform structure & strength all over the pipe body. Thus the seamless pipe can withstand higher pressure, higher temperature, higher mechanical stress & corrosive atmosphere and find wide applications in Oil & Gas, Refinery, Petrochemical, Chemical, Fertilizer, Power, Automotive, Bearing, Mechanical & Structural applications.
The greatest advantage of seamless steel pipes is their increased ability to withstand pressure. The weakest point in a welded steel pipe is the welded seam. But because a seamless steel pipe has not been welded, it doesn’t have that seam, making it equally strong around the entire circumference of the pipe.
Stainless steel pipes are used in petrochemicals, fertilizers, dairy industries power stations and nuclear plants. Other corrosion resistant applications as of food processing industry are also significant users. These pipes are used extensively by Nuclear Fuel Corporation. As a whole it is a good project for entrepreneurs to invest.
Few Indian Major Players are as under
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
• Gandhi Special Tubes Ltd.
• I S M T Ltd.
• Indian Seamless Enterprises Ltd.
• Indian Seamless Metal Tubes (Kalyani Seamless Tubes) Ltd.
• Indian Seamless Metal Tubes Ltd.
• Indosin Pvt. Ltd.
• Jindal Saw Ltd.
• Mahalaxmi Seamless Ltd.
• Maharashtra Seamless Ltd.
• Oil Country Tubular Ltd.
• P S L Ltd.
• Patels Airflow Ltd.
• R M G Alloy Steel Ltd.
• Tubetec Seamless Ltd.