The hot expansion process benefits from the efficiencies of the induction heating, and allows for seamless pipe to be made available at larger diameters.
This workstation is the hot forming process, and increases the pipe diameter by several inches and refines the wall thickness to the specification requirements. The pipe is heated by induction heating, which is considered a “environmentally-friendly process”, which consumes only electricity, and which does so very efficiently. The heating and expansion occurs through-thickness within minutes, and results in a microstructure and mechanical properties that are consistent with a furnace normalizing heat treatment.
Each pipe is tested as it comes off the expanders to ensure that the diameter and wall thickness are in conformance with the specification tolerances.