High Nickel alloyed stainless steels are categorized as having Chromium + Nickel greater than 50%, and most of these alloys have Nickel greater than 30%. These materials have been used widely in petrochemical, chemical, refinery, and organic acid industries, due to their excellent overall corrosion resistance to various types of media and harsh environments involving high temperatures.
In recent months, there have been challenges faced by supply chain to procure these types of materials which have seen wide fluctuations in prices, and long leadtimes. This also adds to costs and budgets of major projects involving such materials, and sometimes leads to material selection changes to inferior alloys. This has resulted in an increase in OPEX cost and unplanned shutdowns in various applications.