25-22-2 (00Cr25Ni22Mo2,
S31050) Urea Steel Over the
last 30 years, two austenitic stainless grades have been dominant in urea plants
with stripper technology. The lower alloyed version is a modified ASTM 316L (UNS
No 31603), referred to as 316LMOD or 316L Urea Grade. It is modified to meet the
requirement of a maximum 0.6 % ferrite and a maximum corrosion rate in the Huey
test of 0.60 mm/year. Both are needed to provide the low corrosion rate for this
type of alloy. The commercial version of 316L does not meet these requirements,
as the impurity level is far too high. For
the more corrosive areas, a higher alloyed material is needed. It is referred
to as 25/22/2, which stands for the chromium, nickel and molybdenum contents.
With a chromium content raised from 17 to 25%, and increased nickel content from
14 to 22%, corrosion resistance was further improved compared with 316L Urea Grade.
Also, 25/22/2 alloy has an international designation UNS S 31050. However,
for use in the urea process, the impurities like sulphur, phosphorus and carbon
have to be kept low, and as S 31050 allows rather high impurity levels, it is
not sufficient to specify the alloy by using only the UNS designation.
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