API 5L X46 Carbon Steel Seamless Pipe

API 5L X46 pipe is a low-medium grade pipe material in the API 5L standard specification. It is also called L320 pipe because its yield strength is a minimum of 320 Mpa (46,400 psi). The minimum tensile strength is 435 Mpa (63,100psi).

What is X46 seamless steel pipe?

API 5L X46 covers carbon steel seamless and welded (ERW, SAW) types of manufacturing types, both suitable for oil and gas transportation. It contains two product specification levels PSL1, PSL2. (Including materials for sour services in PSL2)

X46 Carbon steel seamless pipe is a high-quality, high-performance steel pipe product widely used in oil, gas, chemical, electric power, heat and other fields. Its seamless structure gives the steel pipe a higher pressure bearing capacity and better corrosion resistance, so it can perform well in various extreme environments. Its appearance provides these industries with more reliable, efficient and safe pipeline solutions.

API 5L X46 Pipe Type and Specification:

Classification by product specification level: PSL1, PSL2, sour service
API 5L X46 PSL1, used for pipes with common delivery conditions of rolled state.
API 5L X46N/M/Q, used for PSL2 pipes with delivery conditions of N, M and Q.
API 5L X46NS/MS/QS, used for PSL2 pipes for sour service.

Suffix letter meaning:
R: rolling state
N: normalizing rolling, normalizing forming, normalizing
Q: tempering quenching
M: thermomechanical rolling or thermomechanical forming
S: acid service

Chemical composition:
X46N carbon steel seamless pipe mass fraction, based on smelting analysis and product analysis, maximum %:
Carbon: 0.24,
Silicon: 0.40,
Manganese: 1.40,
Phosphorus: 0.025,
Sulfur: 0.015,
Vanadium: 0.07,
Niobium: 0.05,
Titanium: 0.04.

Mechanical properties of X46 seamless steel pipe:
Yield strength minimum 320MPa, maximum 525MPa,
Tensile strength: minimum 435MPa, maximum 655MPa, maximum yield ratio 0.93

Features and advantages of X46 seamless steel pipe:

1. High strength and corrosion resistance
X46 seamless steel pipe has high strength and high corrosion resistance, can withstand high pressure and temperature, and is suitable for various harsh working environments. Its strength grade reaches X46 level, which can withstand high conveying pressure and ensure the safety and stability of the pipeline.

2. Excellent wear resistance, high temperature resistance and low temperature resistance
X46 seamless steel pipe also has excellent wear resistance, high temperature resistance and low temperature resistance. These characteristics enable the steel pipe to operate stably in extreme working environments, ensuring the long-term safety and reliable operation of equipment. For example, in some areas with complex geological conditions and changeable climate, these performance characteristics of X46 pipeline steel pipe are particularly important.

3. Good toughness
It can withstand a certain degree of impact and deformation, reducing the risk of damage during transportation and installation.

‌4. Excellent processing performance‌

X46 seamless steel pipe not only has excellent mechanical properties, but also has good processing performance. It can be easily connected, bent, cut and other processing operations to improve construction efficiency‌.

Advantages:
a. High strength than Grade B and X42 steel
b. High resistance to dynamic tearing
c. High low temperature impact toughness
d. Low ductile-brittle transition temperature
e. Acid service suitability, applicable to NACE
f. Economy and long lasting

Its excellent performance is due to the ultra-low carbon acicular ferrite structure, high density dislocations interact with fine precipitation phases.

Manufacturing process:
The X46 seamless pipe manufacturing process mainly includes the steps of tube blank preparation, heating, perforation, rolling, leveling, sizing, cooling, straightening, head cutting and inspection. First of all, high-quality tube blanks need to be selected as raw materials; the temperature and time need to be controlled during the heating process to ensure the organization and performance of the steel pipe; perforation and rolling are the core processes for manufacturing seamless steel pipes, which require high-precision equipment and skilled operation skills to ensure the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the steel pipe; finally, the steel pipe needs to undergo strict inspection, including appearance inspection, size measurement, mechanical properties testing, etc., to ensure product quality.

Application fields of X46 seamless steel pipe:

X46 seamless steel pipe is widely used in industries such as petroleum, natural gas, chemical industry, and electric power.
1. In the oil and gas industry, X46 seamless steel pipes are used as oil and gas pipelines, oil well casings, drill pipes, etc., which can meet the use requirements in harsh environments such as high pressure, high temperature, and high corrosion.
2. In the chemical industry, X46 seamless steel pipes are used as manufacturing materials for equipment such as reactors, storage tanks, and pipelines, and can withstand corrosion and erosion from various chemical media.
3. In the power industry, X46 seamless steel pipes are used as manufacturing materials for equipment such as boiler tubes, steam turbines, and generators, which can meet the use requirements of high temperature, high pressure, and high load.

In short, X46 seamless steel pipe is a high-performance steel pipe material with complex manufacturing process, excellent performance, and wide application fields. In the future, with the continuous development and progress of various industries, the application field of X46 seamless steel pipes will be more widely used and promoted.

Read more: Carbon steel tube material and use