ADVANTAGES OF LEAN DUPLEX STAINLESS STEELS IN THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY

ABSTRACT
The performance of lean duplex stainless steel has been utilized by the pulp and paper industry since their
introduction to the market almost 20 years ago. Experience has shown that this group of stainless steels has
exceptional performance in, for example, alkaline environments towards typical deterioration mechanisms i.e.
uniform corrosion and stress corrosion cracking.
The chemistry of the “lean” duplex steels is designed so that the content of volatile and expensive elements like
nickel and molybdenum can be reduced to an absolute minimum without sacrificing the technical performance.
This reduces the raw material cost and most importantly provides predictability of the steel price, often
challenging with conventional austenitic and duplex stainless steels.
Thanks to a dual phase microstructure and high nitrogen content, lean duplex steels have at least two times
higher strength compared to standard austenitic stainless steels. This is often a preferred feature in pulp and
paper construction as it enables lighter structures and less material to be utilized.
Today lean duplex steels are widely available in various dimensions from thin cold rolled sheets up to thick
quarto plates. Lean duplex steels are also fully recyclable after the decommissioning stage of the equipment
thereby contributing to the circular economy. 

TAPPI conference proceedings and presentations, technical papers, and publication articles provide technical and management data and solutions on topics covering the Pulp, Paper, Tissue, Corrugated Packaging, Flexible Packaging, Nanotechnology and Converting Industries.

Simply select the quantity, add to your cart and your conference paper, presentation or article will be available for immediate download.