ASME SA249 TP304 Stainless Steel Welded Heat Exchanger Tube Bright Annealed

ASME SA249 TP304 Stainless Steel Welded Heat Exchanger Tube Bright Annealed

ASTM A249 is a standard developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifically to specify technical requirements for welding austenitic stainless steel tubes and ferritic alloy steel tubes for boilers, superheaters, and heat exchangers. TP304, as a key material grade under this standard, has unique chemical composition and performance. The main chemical components of ASME SA249 TP304 stainless steel welded heat exchanger tube include: carbon (C) ≤ 0.08 (but TP304L, as an ultra-low carbon version, has a carbon content not exceeding 0.03%), silicon (Si) ≤ 1.00, manganese (Mn) ≤ 2.0, phosphorus (P) ≤ 0.045, sulfur (S) ≤ 0.030, nickel (Ni) 8.00-12.00, chromium (Cr) 18.00-20.00. These chemical components ensure that TP304 welded tubes have excellent corrosion resistance and good formability.

ASME SA249 Stainless Steel Welded Heat Exchanger Tube Chemical Composition

The manufacturing process of ASME SA249 TP304 stainless steel welded heat exhcanger tubes strictly adheres to relevant standards, including material inspection, tube blank preparation, welding, heat treatment, non-destructive testing, and final inspection. Among them, welding process is one of the key, using advanced TIG (tungsten inert gas welding) or MIG (metal inert gas welding) technology to ensure high weld quality and few defects. In addition, the heat treatment process can further eliminate welding residual stress, improve the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the pipeline. In terms of quality control, manufacturers need to strictly screen raw materials and monitor each link in the production process in real time to ensure stable and reliable product quality.

The high proportion of chromium and nickel elements makes TP304 stainless steel welded heat exchanger tube have excellent corrosion resistance, which can resist the erosion of various corrosive media; Under high temperature conditions, TP304 stainless steel welded heat exchanger tube can still maintain high strength and toughness, making them suitable for working environments with high temperature and high pressure; At the same time, TP304 stainless steel welded heat exchanger tube has good antioxidant properties and can maintain stable performance within a certain high temperature range; TP304 stainless steel welded heat exchanger tube is easy to process and form, making it convenient to manufacture pipeline systems in various shapes and sizes.

ASME SA249 TP304 stainless steel welded heat exchanger tubes shall be made from flat-rolled steel by an automatic welding process with no addition of filler metal. 

Subsequent to welding and prior to final heat treatment, the tubes shall be cold worked either in both weld and base metal or in weld metal only. The method of cold working may be specified by the purchaser. When cold drawn, the purchaser may specify the minimum amount of reduction in
cross-sectional area or wall thickness, or both.

ASME SA249 TP304 Stainless Steel Welded Tube Application

• Boilers and Pressure Vessels: Used in the manufacture of low-pressure heat exchange tubes, preheater tubes, and other applications. It is an economical choice in many applications where welded tube is permitted.
• Heat Exchangers and Condensers: Used in shell-and-tube heat exchangers in the chemical, power, and central air conditioning industries. Its smooth interior helps reduce scaling and pressure loss.
• Food, Beverage, and Pharmaceutical Industries: Process tubing for transporting milk, beer, juice, and liquid medicines. It is used in sanitary piping, requiring extremely high surface finishes (e.g., Ra < 0.8μm) and cleanliness.
• Ultrapure Media Transport: Used in the semiconductor and biotechnology industries for transporting ultrapure water and chemicals, requiring a tube wall free of impurities.
• Other Industries: Used in the textile and paper industries for corrosive media transport.