Top Industrial Applications of Alloy 600
Strong, resistant and versatile, nickel alloys are generally a good choice for critical applications in hot or extreme environments. But INCONEL alloy 600 stands out even among its peers. With exceptional strength and a truly impressive operative temperature range, this nickel-chromium-iron alloy is frequently used in high-stress applications including aerospace, oil and gas extraction, wastewater treatment and shipbuilding.
Let’s take a look at a few of the most common applications for alloy 600.
Aerospace
Alloy 600 is a real stalwart of the aerospace industry, with a history of application going back five decades. The key to its popularity is its heat resistance. It’s capable of being worked at temperatures up to 1230°C without compromising its mechanical properties, even for extended periods. This makes alloy 600 an outstanding choice for manufacturing a whole range of components including turbine seals, lockwire and exhaust liners.
Operation at very low temperatures is just as dangerous and demanding as extreme heat. Because alloy 600 preserves many of its mechanical properties in cryogenic conditions – as low as minus 200°C – it’s also a safe and reliable choice for manufacturing components such as pressure vessels and aircraft skins.
Marine and offshore
Lightness and strength is the crucial combination when it comes to marine application, and alloy 600 excels here, too. It’s frequently used in shipbuilding to produce strong, corrosion-resistant parts that won’t add extra weight, such as boat axles.
Seawater is an extremely harsh medium. Alloy 600’s particular mix of corrosion resistance, tensile & yield strength, and tolerance of severe cold means that it’s often used in building submerged structures such as petroleum plants and offshore platforms.
Oil and gas
These same qualities make alloy 600 a key asset for applications in oil and gas extraction. Not only is it exceptionally resistant to heat and corrosion, it also resists erosion and the accumulation of chemical deposits. It’s hard-wearing and not prone to abrasion. All this is crucial for preserving the integrity of wells, pipes and other components, as well as protecting both the environment and the people who work on these applications.
Wastewater treatment
When it comes to dealing with wastewater, components need to stand up to both the medium they’re carrying and the environment they’re in. This means that the processing plant needs to be able to resist the kind of substances you might find in industrial wastewater, such as metal slurry and hydrochloric or sulphuric acid. But it also needs to be able to withstand harsh external factors, like seawater corrosion.
All this makes alloy 600 a key material in building these plants. In general, you’ll also find it used wherever components are likely to be exposed to concentrated acids.
Other applications of INCONEL alloy 600 include the nuclear industry, pollution control, automobile manufacture, chemical processing and petrochemicals. For these and many other potentially hazardous applications, it’s a safe and reliable material with a long, distinguished record.
If you’re interested in finding out more about INCONEL alloy 600, its properties and its wide spectrum of application, get in touch with our sales team today.
