Toxic Haze Pollution and Its Effects on Pipe Fitting and Flange Industry

1. Under the Dome, Haze Pollution, Hebei Steel Industry

Recently, "Under the Dome", a documentary video on air pollution in China goes viral dramatically. Made by the former CCTV's famous reporter Chai Jing, this 104-minutes documentary attracts more than 100 millions views in less than 2 days after its release. In one section, it focuses on the dense toxic haze pollution caused by Hebei's steel industry which has spurred public strong revulsion over China's putrid air that has been lasting for years.

2. Environment protection, effects on flange and pipe fittings industry

As an important branch of Hebei's steel, flange & pipe fittings industry is also criticized due to it energy intensive consumption, high haze pollution, immoderate emission of carbon dioxide and sulfides and other hazardous gases. It is reported that Chinese Authority is to impose stringent limits to tackle air pollution.

In order to save cost, some small flange forging workshops are still using brown coal to heat the furnace during preheating and heat treatment process which produces heavy thick smogs. This practice will be prohibited by environment protection regulation. Now the forging workshops may have to pay a considerable amount of money to upgrade their facilities to gas furnace or electrical vacuum furnace. Roughly calculated, it will increase the price of flanges by 6.8%.

Meanwhile, in order to control the emission of carbon dioxide and sulfides during the production process of seamless steel pipes, additional supervising system and emission control equipment should be assembled. Seamless pipes are the raw material of butt weld pipe fittings. The mid-frequency heating and extruding process of pipe fittings is also electricity intensive. The multi-step electricity pricing strategy implemented recently results in an inevitable increase on the prices of pipe fittings.

3. Prospective of flange and pipe fitting industry in China.

Conventional crude steel industry may survive after a painful struggle but its profit margin will still be very low. It is time to think of innovation of products and technology. We should enter the special service field such as high temperature, high pressure, low temperature and severe corrosion, etc. Low alloy steel, super duplex stainless steel and non-ferrous metal are all big opportunities for manufacturers of flange and pipe fittings.

Views: Author：hbmetals Date:15/03/04