Lorain Tubular Operations

Seamless manufacturing using the latest technology.


Address

2199 E. 28th St.
Lorain, OH 44055

The U. S. Steel mill at the Lorain, Ohio manufacturing facility produces high-quality seamless pipe used in oil and gas exploration and production as well as the construction industry.

 

The Lorain facility has an annual production capacity of 380,000 net tons of oil country tubular goods (OCTG), casing, standard and line pipe, and coupling stock.

The facility produces seamless pipe in outside diameter (OD) pipe sizes ranging from 10-1/8” to 26”.
 

The process for creating U. S. Steel seamless pipe

Seamless pipe begins with continuous cast round billets heated in a rotary hearth furnace where temperatures exceed 2,300 °F. The preheated billets are then processed through two piercing mills and a plug rolling mill to increase both diameter and length. This process also reduces wall thickness.

Further reductions in the seamless pipe wall thickness and increases in overall pipe length are gained by passing the pierced billet through the plug rolling mill. Pipes larger than 16” OD are reheated and sent through a rotary rolling mill, which uses large discs to expand the hot tubes up to 26” in diameter. Rotary rolling can produce pipe as long as 45 feet.

 
Finishing and testing Lorain mills seamless pipe

Seamless pipe is passed through the reeling and size mills where it is burnished both inside and out before entering an intermediate cooling station. If the steel is an as-rolled carbon grade product, it is then heat-equalized in a reheat furnace and then sent through a three-stand sizing mill to reach its final OD.

Steel requiring heat treating is austenitized in the furnace, then passed through a state-of-the-art OD or ID/OD quench and a walking beam, computer controlled multi-zone temper furnace before rejoining the main production line at the sizing mill. After sizing, the pipe cools on a slowly moving conveyor table.

Final steps

Once straightened, the Lorain mills’ seamless pipe undergoes non-destructive testing, evaluation, and cut-off operations to ensure there are no non-conforming body wall imperfections. It then goes through a hydrostatic test of both strength and length and a final visual test before being stenciled, loaded and shipped.

If required by our customers, the pipe is processed through one of several offline ultrasonic testing and special end-area inspection units.

Quench and temper

Pipe that is to be quench and tempered is heated to 1,550 °F in the facility’s austenitizing furnace and then cooled with an outside diameter water quench to below 200 °F. The pipe’s mechanical properties along the length of the pipe are controlled via precise management of temperatures in the tempering furnace.

Finishing of quench and tempered pipe begins with a combination of electromagnetic inspection (EMI)/Ultrasonic Testing (UT) unit and a Special End Area (SEA) inspection unit for detection of longitudinal and transverse indications and measurement of wall thickness. Pipe is then pressure tested and sent to the cutoffs, facers and threaders for end finishing.

Couplings are applied, and the pipe is full-length drifted, grade-verified, checked for length, measured, stenciled, and coated before being shipped to the customer.

Lorain Tubular Production

10-1/8” to 26” OD Seamless Manufacturing Process
Lorain Tubular OCTG Grades H40, J55, K55, L80, L80 HC, L80 HP, N80Q, N80 HC, N80 HP, N80 Type 1, C90, R95, T95, C110, P110 (to SR 16), P110, P110 HC, P110 HP, Q125.
Pipe manufactured to these grades will be marked with the API monogram
Proprietary OCTG Grades USS GT 80S, USSC90, USSC95, USS C100, USS RYS110, USS C110, USS 140, USS V150, Q125 HC, Q125 HP, Q125 XHP.
Standard Pipe Grades ASTM & ASME Grades A53, A106, A333. A252, A501, A523, A618.
Line Pipe Grades API 5L Grades B Thru X80, CSA z245.1 Grades 290 Thru 550.

For pipe sizes and grades not found in the sections above, please contact U. S. Steel Tubular Products at 877-893-9461 with your inquiry.