Sandvik, a developer and producer of advanced stainless steels, special alloys, titanium and other high-performance materials, has said that the Middle East remains an important region for the company, and has increasingly proven to offer continued opportunities for business growth especially in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Oman.

Just this year alone, the team secured several projects in the region – and concluded the approval from Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) to supply stainless steel and nickel alloy tubes for heat exchangers, the company said in a statement.

“Sandvik is the industry-leading provider of high value-added products in advanced metallic materials for selected niches in the most demanding industries. Our cutting-edge expertise is based on world leading metallurgy and R&D/materials technology. Our products are aimed at helping customers fulfill – and even exceed – their productivity and performance expectations by being as energy efficient as possible,” said James Doughty, regional sales director Mena, Sandvik.

According to him, Sandvik has seen increase in the demand for high corrosion resistant alloys from customers globally, as operators look to improve lifetime cycles and safety in both existing and new systems. Sandvik has also developed a number of high performance tubular products suitable for the most extreme conditions in both upstream and downstream applications in the Middle East, including areas around Abu Dhabi that are known for corrosive well conditions.

Sandvik corrosion resistant alloy: prize winner

“The growing demand for cost efficiency in an increasingly agile market has resulted in customers looking for more value added solutions to optimise performance. By addressing the emerging needs of the industry, we are continously developing a wide range of innovative tube products in corrosion resistant alloys,” Doughty said.

“In the near future, we look forward to continue launching interesting products for customers in the market – such as our mobile tube de-coiling facility and new grades that will bring cost effective, life cycle cost benefits to our customers,” he added.

OCTG AWARD FROM ADNOC

In the recent developments, the company said it has entered into a long-term agreement with Tenaris to supply Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) following its award from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) in August 2019.

Adnoc has awarded Tenaris a long-term contract for the provision of tubulars and Rig Direct services over the next five years, with the possibility of a two-year extension. The award forms part of an initiative by Adnoc to secure smart procurement solutions that add value to its upstream oil and gas drilling business and promote in-country investment and service provision. It includes the supply of a full array of steel grades and connections, including Dopeless technology, to support Adnoc’s onshore and offshore E&P expansion projects.

The award includes a relevant portion of Corrosion Resistant Alloy (CRA) materials, which will be supplied by Sandvik as part of the Sandvik-Tenaris Alliance Agreement. Sandvik produce all OCTG materials from melt to finished products at the manufacturing facility in Sandviken, Sweden.

In many parts of Abu Dhabi, the well environments are extremely corrosive, making requirements for CRA materials necessary. For this award, Sandvik will be supplying primarily Sanicro 28 (UNS N08028) in dimensions from 3½ to 7 inches outer diameter. Sanicro 28 is a high-alloy multi-purpose austenitic stainless steel for service in highly corrosive conditions. Due to outstanding characteristics such as excellent resistance to sulfide stress cracking and chloride induced stress corrosion cracking as well as high resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion, Sanicro 28 OCTG fits well for the demanding environments of Abu Dhabi wells.

Per Olsson-Artberger, Global Product Manager OCTG, Sandvik, said: “Being involved in this award, which is one of the world’s largest in this category, further showcases our expertise and ability to produce high-quality products that meet various challenges around the world. We are very excited to be working once again with Tenaris to support Adnoc’s activities in the UAE and look forward to delivering materials that contribute to high productivity and cost-efficiency in this ever-evolving industry.”

Recently, Sandvik exhibited at Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) 2019. At its booth, Sandvik highlighted a wide range of high corrosion resistance products such as hydraulic and instrumentation, heat exchanger, OCTG tubing, control lines and umbilicals. Sandvik also showcased its innovative and transportable coiled tubing production unit for
onsite use.

The company said it is seeing significant growth in the region following considerable investment in recent years, including the opening of its regional oil and gas headquarters in Dubai, UAE, to service the local market.

Sandvik said has seen an increase in the demand for high corrosion resistant alloys from customers globally, as operators look to improve lifetime cycles and safety in both existing and new systems.

INNOVATION PRIZE

A new innovative grade, Sanicro 35 has been developed with a high-performance material that is new to the market. The new versatile corrosion resistant alloy has now been awarded the Sandvik Innovation Prize. The Sandvik Materials Technology team of Ulf Kivisäkk, Karin Hansson-Antonsson, Christina Haraldsson and Peter Stenvall, received the prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, last month.

Sanicro 35 has proven to have excellent mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance and is a type of alloy in high demand in several industries. Sandvik Scientific Council announced the Sanicro 35 development team as winners of the Sandvik Innovation prize 2019. Part of the motivation read: “Sanicro 35 has found a white spot on the alloy map and is a super-austenitic material with a reasonably low Nickel content, but with properties that are equal to or surpass those of alloys in the Ni-base realm. This makes the alloy a very cost-efficient alternative to the more highly alloyed alternatives.”

Sandvik CEO Björn Rosengren handed over the prize at the award ceremony and recognized the innovative accomplishment: “Sanicro 35 has already gained much interest from customers since the soft launch earlier this year and has great potential to be successful on the market. It is a true Sandvik innovation and we look forward to following the sales development for this product,” said Björn Rosengren.

Göran Björkman, president of business area Sandvik Materials Technology, also praised the winners. “Congratulations to our team for this achievement. The level of innovation in Sanicro 35 is very high. Well done!”, he said.

The winners appreciated the acknowledgement. “We’re both happy and honored to receive this prize. It’s recognition for our hard and devoted teamwork, including knowledge building and alloy development, which has resulted in Sanicro 35,” said Ulf Kivisäkk, Senior Expert Corrosion Resistant Alloys, Sandvik Materials Technology.

The Sandvik Innovation Prize is awarded to one or several employees who have developed the most innovative product or process during the year. The prize was introduced in 2003 and includes prize money and a diploma.