An overview on pipeline steel development for cold climate applications

For some decades, the resources within the northern hemisphere have been studied for possible exploration. The need for reliable infrastructures in such extreme cold climatic condition is constantly on the rise. There is an imminent need to develop pipeline steels that can retain good characteristics under extremely low temperature. The focus of this review is to evaluate the basic requirements for producing steels designated for application in extreme cold polar regions. This study includes construction steels and the high strength pipeline steel grades used in sub-zero temperature applications. The emphasis is on the role of mechanical properties, chemical composition, and microstructure in designing steels for cold region. How these factors influence failure is critical, especially in terms of cracking behavior. Therefore, additional details about the synergy between low temperature and corrosive degradation are also discussed.