Application of Titanium Pipes in Seawater Desalination Equipment

Titanium pipes have the advantages of being lightweight, high strength, and superior mechanical performance. They are widely used in heat exchange equipment, such as tube-and-tube heat exchangers, coil heat exchangers, serpentine heat exchangers, condensers, evaporators, and conveyance pipelines.

Titanium pipes in heat transfer tubes for seawater desalination equipment

The original heat transfer tubes for seawater desalination equipment were mainly made of copper alloy tubes, which have many disadvantages and have been replaced by reliable and maintenance-free titanium pipes. The wall thickness of the heat transfer tubes is determined by usage conditions, tube plate materials, pipe expansion construction capabilities, and pipe end welding processes. Because the diameter of the heat transfer tubes is small and the strength requirements are not high, thinner pipes are usually used in actual use, with the wall thickness of common copper alloy tubes being between 0.9mm and 1.2mm. In places with less corrosiveness, thin-walled welded pipes with a wall thickness of 0.3mm can be used instead of titanium pipes.

Because the materials of the heat transfer tubes are different, so are their thermal conductivity coefficients. For example, the thermal conductivity of titanium is 17w/(m·K), aluminum brass is low/(m·K), 90/10 white copper is 47w(m·K), and 70/30 white copper is 29w/(m·K). Therefore, the thermal conductivity of the heat transfer tubes can be controlled by changing the wall thickness. Among the above materials, titanium has the lowest thermal conductivity. For example, if a thin-walled titanium welded pipe is used, its thermal conductivity is worse than that of aluminum brass, but equivalent to 90/10 white copper, and better than 70/30 white copper.

The unit price of titanium pipes is 2 to 6 times that of copper alloys, but under the same conditions, the price of titanium pipes can be comparable to that of copper alloy pipes. Due to its low density, titanium pipes with the same wall thickness and length are only 50% of copper alloy pipes. When the thickness of titanium pipes is 50% of copper alloy pipes, titanium pipes with the same heat transfer area are only 1/4 of copper alloy pipes, at the current price level. The overall price of thin-walled titanium welded pipes is equivalent to that of aluminum-copper pipes and cheaper than white copper pipes.

Titanium pipes in the automotive industry

Titanium pipes have been used in racing cars for many years. The lightweight and high-strength properties of titanium pipes have always been the focus of attention for car manufacturers. Currently, almost all titanium pipes are used in racing cars. The amount of titanium pipes used in Japanese cars has exceeded 600 tons. With the development of the global automotive industry, the use of titanium pipes in cars is still growing rapidly.

Titanium pipes in medical applications

With the advancement of medical technology, metal implantation into the human body is a very rare surgical procedure. Because seamless titanium pipes have weaker rejection forces with human tissue, they are widely used in human bone implants, such as artificial bones, artificial joints, and artificial teeth. In addition, the use of titanium pipes in pharmaceutical machinery and medical devices is further recognized, and the demand for them in the future cannot be ignored.