TPT July 2011

I ndustry N ews

TMK IPSCO breaks ground on new research centre

GLOBAL pipe manufacturer TMK IPSCO has broken ground on a new 51,000ft 2 research and development centre in Houston, Texas. The state-of-the-art facility will serve as the heart of the company’s innovation initiatives – new product design and development, experimental and validation testing, and advanced metallurgical research. The research and development centre will serve TMK IPSCO, as well as the global operations of its parent company, Moscow-based OAO TMK. “This new facility is a testament both to our commitment to innovation and to our position of leadership in our industry,” said Piotr Galitzine, chairman of TMK IPSCO. “The work we do here will lead to advancements in the production of pipe and pipe connections, which are becoming increasingly important as oil and gas companies continue to expand into difficult, unconventional drilling environments. Other products are on the drawing board as well.” The TMK IPSCO research and development centre will bring in-house much of the analysis, modelling and testing work that is currently performed by outside providers. The building will feature a high bay testing area, a variety of support laboratories, 27,000 square feet of office space, and a two-and-a-half story glass entry atrium at the centre point. The facility is scheduled to open in the autumn/fall of 2011. Two high-tech connection testers rated at four million pounds and two million pounds of tension, respectively, will be among the key pieces of equipment CHELYABINSK Tube Rolling Plant of Russia has announced its production results for Q1 of the current year. In Q1 ChTPZ’s steel pipe sales increased to 488,000 tons up 45 per cent compared to 337,000 tons in Q1 2010. Its sales volumes of large diameter pipes, OCTG and seamless industrial pipes increased by 94 per cent, 26 per cent and 33 per cent respectively compared to Q1 2010. The strong performance in sales volumes of steel pipes and also of core products for trunk pipeline systems arose due to an

installed at the new research centre. Other key equipment will include a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a collapse tester, tensile and fatigue testers and a corrosion testing lab, among others. Other work would involve simulation, modelling and analysis work in the areas of alloy design, welding, mechanical forming, connection integrity and non-destructive testing. In addition to connections testing, TMK IPSCO’s research and development centre will also work to improve the quality of steelmaking itself, engaging in a wide range of metallurgical research involving both carbon- and micro-alloyed steel. “This is a very exciting endeavour for TMK IPSCO,” said Prasenjit Adhikari, the company’s chief technology officer. “The research and development centre puts our company at the cutting edge of technology. Not only will we have some of the world’s best equipment and processes here, but we’ll have some of the world’s top professionals in the fields of engineering, science, manufacturing and metallurgy.” The centre will serve both TMK IPSCO and OAO TMK, and will collaborate with numerous organisations, including MIT, the Russian Research Institute for the Tube and Pipe Industries (RosNITI), and several other top industrial forums, research labs and universities. TMK IPSCO – USA Website: www.tmk-ipsco.com

ChTPZ steel pipe sales up increase in demand from ChPTZ’s main oil and gas customers, primarily Gazprom.

In 2010, ChPTZ launched its new large diameter pipe mill, Vysota 239. In March this year, Vysota 239 produced 52,000 tons of LD pipes. In Q1, the sales volume from the new LD pipe shop totalled 131,000 tons including 114,000 tons shipped to Gazprom’s Yamal Ukhta Torzhok pipeline project. ChTPZ – Russia Website: www.chtpz.ru

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J uly 2011

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