An integrated offer that couples leading materials science with world-class tubular manufacturing for petrochemical, syngas, and ammonia applications.

 

Tubacex is deepening its collaboration with VDM Metals to accelerate the industrialization and global rollout of Alloy 699 XA (UNS N06699). The alliance combines VDM’s reference-class nickel-based alloy design with Tubacex’s end-to-end industrialization, from melt understanding and materials selection to seamless tube manufacturing, qualification, and application engineering, delivering reliable performance where conditions are most extreme and uptime is non-negotiable.

Next-generation defense against metal dusting

Metal dusting remains one of the harshest forms of high-temperature corrosion in hydrogen- and CO-rich atmospheres (typically ~400–800 °C), driving pitting, rapid wall loss, and unplanned shutdowns. Alloy 699 XA’s Ni-Cr-Al chemistry is engineered to delay onset and limit attack depth under carburizing conditions while offering creep strength comparable to Alloy 601 and proven weldability for efficient fabrication and maintenance.

Design confidence: ASME pathway confirmed

The ASME Code Case 3111 for Alloy 699 XA enables use in boiler and pressure-vessel designs up to 800 °C in relevant services—an important step that simplifies engineering adoption in new builds and revamps alike.

Integrated model: from advanced alloy to advanced tubing

What differentiates this partnership is not only alloy design but its translation into dependable tubular solutions. As an integrated company, Tubacex closes the gap between material and application by aligning:

• Materials expertise
• Seamless tube manufacturing
• Connection and qualification know-how
• Field-proven application engineering

The result: an easier, lower-risk path from spec to service for petrochemical, refinery, fertilizer, ammonia, and gasification customers operating under severe carburizing conditions.

What customers gain

• Extended service life in carburizing atmospheres thanks to exceptional metal-dusting resistance.
• High-temperature integrity, with creep performance on par with Alloy 601.
• Efficient fabrication and maintenance through good ductility and weldability (e.g., GTAW with matching filler under argon).
• Faster qualification and execution via the ASME code case and an integrated, single-partner route from alloy to tube.

“This is a partnership of complementary strengths,” the Tubacex team noted. “VDM brings deep alloy design and materials science; Tubacex turns that science into high-integrity seamless tubes and application support. Together, we give operators a dependable, scalable way to tackle carburizing service.”

As our R&D leadership puts it, “Alloy 699 XA is the next-generation material solution for carburizing conditions.”

 

More information here.