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Incoloy

Incoloy superalloys are used to manufacture products with strong anti-corrosion properties, which exhibit structural stability and functionality at high-temperature levels.

In the following sections, we shall cover those alloys in further detail. 

We’ll provide a full description as to what they are, describe their unique characteristics and properties, and explain which industrial settings they are most commonly used in, as well as list some of the main groups that make up their family.  

What Is Incoloy

Incoloy metal alloys are primarily composed of nickel, iron, and chromium, which makes them highly resistant to oxidation and carbonization at high temperatures. These alloys also have a high melting point of up to 1385°C (2525°F).

Incoloy’s high iron content allows it to maintain its structural integrity at high temperatures, resulting in lower production costs than other metal alloys on the market.  

Ease of fabrication is another major attribute of this superalloy. Its weldability is comparable to stainless steel, and both materials use much of the same machines and processes for their production.  

Although Incoloy is mostly composed of the three metals mentioned earlier (nickel, iron, and chromium), it does come in different grades, giving it wider applicability.

Source: Bunty LLC

All Incoloy alloys exhibit high anti-corrosive properties (especially in fluid environments like sulfuric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, or nitric acid), high-temperature tolerance, and high stress-resistance levels. 

However, each has a unique set of characteristics that lend themselves to use in specific environments. 

The basic grades of Incoloy alloys are useful in less critical settings, while the more enhanced versions are extremely beneficial in chemical, corrosive, and highly degenerating and damaging environments which often cause pitting and cracking. 

The more specialized grades of Incoloy alloys are mostly used in environments containing acids, nuclear fuel, and furnace byproducts. 

On the other hand, the more general forms are commonly found in the oil and gas industries due to their ability to resist the corrosive effects of seawater, high chloride, and sour gas. 

Incoloy Properties

All Incoloy alloys exhibit similar traits that make them highly conducive for use in corrosive and high-temperature environments.

The most common Incoloy characteristics include:

  • Corrosion resistance
  • Good strength resistance (high temperatures: 2475-2525°F / 1357-1385°C)
  • Oxidation resistance (high temperatures: 1112-2372°F / 600-1300°C)
  • Carburization resistance (high temperatures: 1832°F / 1000 °C)
  • Creep-rupture strength (high temperatures: 1292-1472°F / 700-800 °C)
  • Ease of fabrication 

Due to the above properties, Incoloy alloys are widely used in the production of end products within industries where corrosion and high heat are common.

Incoloy Applications

As mentioned earlier, Incoloy’s high iron content makes it an ideal manufacturing material for applications at extremely hot temperatures.  

In addition, its various grades have been designed to withstand high corrosion typically found in marine environments.

A comprehensive list of Incoloy’s numerous applications is given below:

  • Carburizing equipment
  • Chemical process equipment, including piping
  • Pollution control equipment
  • Heat-treating equipment
  • Pickling equipment, such as tanks and heaters
  • Oil and gas well piping
  • Nuclear steam generator tubing
  • Sulphuric acid piping and vessels
  • Phosphoric acid evaporators
  • Marine exhaust vessels
  • Propeller shafts
  • Tank trucks
  • Calorifiers
  • Ammonia sulfate vessels
  • Hot vessels (food, water, seawater)
  • Expansion bellows

As can be seen, Incoloy alloys have many applications in a variety of industries due to their many beneficial features.

Whether it be its resistance to seawater brine, sour gas, and high-chloride acids or the ability to withstand extreme temperatures like those found in nuclear fuel and nuclear furnace reactors, Incoloy alloys are a great low-cost manufacturing material. 

They can deter the destructive power of chemical corrosion as well as the physical deterioration of highly-volatile heated applications.  

In the next section, we shall cover two of the major Incoloy types, which are widely used across several industries.  

Main Incoloy Alloys

The two most popular grades of Incoloy used for manufacturing purposes today are Incoloy 800 and its derivative, Incoloy 825.

Both alloys have nickel, iron, and chromium as their main chemical composition, but Incoloy 825 has copper, titanium, and molybdenum added to it. The materials enhance its corrosion-resistant properties. 

A brief outline of each grade is given below.

Incoloy 800

This alloy is commonly used for the production of equipment that requires properties such as heat resistance, corrosion resistance, structural stability, and tensile strength at high temperatures of up to 816°C-1500°F.

Its chemical makeup is as follows:

  • Iron (approximately 39 percent)
  • Nickel (30-35 percent)
  • Chromium (19-23 percent)
  • Manganese (approximately 1.5 percent)
  • Others (less than 1 percent)

Incoloy 800 is commonly used in the automotive, thermal processing, and electrical resistance industries. 

Some of its applications include:

  • Heat exchangers
  • Process piping
  • Carbonizing fixtures
  • Carbonizing retorts
  • Electric-heating elements (sheathing)
  • Furnace components
  • Ammonia effluent coolers
  • Extruded tubing (ethylene and steam methane furnaces)

As you can see in the above list, Incoloy 800 has widespread use in many applications that include operating at high temperatures. 

Incoloy 825

The addition of molybdenum, copper, and titanium gives Incoloy 825 added resistance to a wide array of corrosive elements commonly found in harsh industrial environments.  

Its overall composition includes:

  • Nickel (38-46 percent)
  • Iron (22 percent)
  • Chromium (19.5-23.5 percent)
  • Molybdenum (2.5-3.5 percent)
  • Copper (1 percent)
  • Titanium, Silicon, Aluminum, Carbon, Sulfur (less than 1 percent)

Because of its high resistance to corrosion, Incoloy alloys are frequently used within chemical processing, marine, oil and gas, pollution and waste, and power generation industries.

Some specific applications of Incoloy 825 include:

  • Pickling tanks and equipment
  • Chemical process equipment
  • Sulfuric acid piping and vessels
  • Phosphoric acid evaporators
  • Tank trucks
  • Propellor shafts
  • Calorifiers

Incoloy 825’s outstanding properties have made it a useful material for the design and production of many applications operating within highly corrosive environments. 

In short, Incoloy 800 and 825 are both solid solution strengthened alloys, which means they both have the same mechanical properties. 

The only difference between them lies in the added copper and molybdenum in 825. The metals enhance its corrosive resistance, making it more suitable for the production of metal-based applications operating within chemically-complex environments.  

Conclusion

The class of superalloys known as Incoloy has been designed with a unique set of elements that make all their grades resistant to corrosion and able to maintain their strength and functionality at high temperatures.  

Their most salient feature, though, is their ability to resist corrosive elements in fluid environments, which has made them a staple material for applications in aqueous settings and chemical processing. 

Another advantage Incoloy offers is its low purchase and low-manufacturing cost. This is largely due to its high iron content and its resilience to corrosion, which remains after welding and so requires no additional treatment to retain. 

All in all, Incoloy is a low-cost and durable material that is great for almost all applications that need a good degree of tensile and rupture strength at high temperatures, along with excellent anti-corrosion capabilities even in the most highly corrosive of environments.   


For further information about our Incoloy alloys, contact us via the convenient website form or submit a request for quote directly.

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