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We are a British company operating across all major global markets through a network of key distributors.
In addition to Tungum tubing, we can source and supply other copper alloy tubing and associated products.
Whatever it is, we are experts at finding the right product at the right price with the right delivery. You can be guaranteed we’ll specify the best material for the job.
Tungum tube was launched in the early 1930s as a decorative alloy and it was soon appreciated as an excellent copper-based engineering alloy. From World War II right up to today, Tungum tube is a favoured material for many applications such as military aircraft, ships, ferries, dredgers and many other applications.
View case study here.
The handrails on the staircase in the prestigious Cumberland Hotel by Marble Arch in London were made from Tungum alloy and installed by the well-known Cheltenham Company of H.H. Martin.
The Spitfire is one of the best known and loved British fighter aircraft ever made. With the help of T2 Alloys Limited, a Tewkesbury-based manufacturer of corrosion resistant alloy tubing, one such aircraft has been restored to its former glory.
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One of the early Tungum Alloy applications was in tube form for use on the various hydraulic and breathing air services for the Wellington Bomber. The reason for using Tungum was because of its extremely good resistance to fatigue and its high strength to weight ratio. The Bomber was subsequently recovered in 1985 and restored using Tungum tube.
The use of Tungum in the oil and gas industry didn’t start until the early 1970s when American technology on offshore operations combined with British process industry knowledge to form the UK’s design base for rigs and platforms. Both sources believed in using stainless steel tubing – the Americans because it was traditional in their industry – the British because stainless steels are the generally accepted materials in the process industry. Efforts to have Tungum Tube installed in major hydraulics and pneumatic circuits (as distinct from process instrumentation lines) met with some opposition, due to material standardisation on the platform. Operators and designers were increasingly concerned by the ever growing cases of pitting & crevice corrosion taking place of stainless steel tubing lines. Tungum is not affected by pitting and crevice corrosion & started to be introduced to non-process hydraulic & pneumatic systems.
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Another notable event occurred during the early 1970s when for safety reasons, Lloyds specified Tungum for use in oxygen lines on dive / hyperbaric systems. Almost overnight, dive equipment manufacturers converted from stainless steel to Tungum on all dive system circuits e.g. oxygen, air, heliox, heating water and hydraulics. Tungum is ideal for these applications as it is non-sparking and has the benefit of clean bore characteristics. Tungum tube was also being preferentially used by major crane manufacturers such as Priestman, Clarke-Chapman, Stothert & Pitt for pedestal frame hydraulics and other hydraulically actuated auxiliaries due to its excellent corrosion resistance. Maintenance-free performance of these Tungum installations was being noticed by operators around the world who were by now being faced with costly replacements of stainless steel due to pitting and crevice corrosion taking place. This type of corrosion was occurring after as little as 2 years of an intended 25+ years of installation life. Now Tungum is approved and used by BP, Shell, Conoco Phillips, KBR & AMEC to name but a few.
Tungum tube has been installed on the Iolair and been in service for over 30 years. Tungum is used on safety critical instrumentation and hydraulic systems including:
TSE Loops Utility air Potable water Hydraulic equipment handling systems
Tungum Alloy tubing has been used by the UK MoD for over 60 years. The main areas of use are for hydraulic & pneumatic applications in the Army & Navy. Tungum continues to be utilised in UK Army fighting vehicles such as: Saxon APC’s, FV430, AS90 & Challenger I & II. Tungum has been the material of choice for Bofors in Sweden for many years. The main usage is on the hydraulic systems. mainly the traverse gear & projectile loading systems.
In 1983 a leading deepwater project company Subsea 7 was building a new diving support vessel – Rockwater 1. On previous vessels they had experienced corrosion problems using stainless steel tubing for the instrumentation lines. By selecting Tungum tubing the were able to reduce the risk of tube line failure due to saltwater corrosion while also cutting downtime and refit costs.
Tungum® tubing has been used in the main hydraulic system on the HMS Chiddingfold.
HMS Chiddingfold is a hunt-class mine countermeasure vessel (MCMV) in active service in the British Royal Navy.
The wreckage of a ditched Wellington Bomber had lain beneath the waters of Loch Ness for almost 45 years before divers stumbled across the wreckage in almost perfect condition. It was finally recovered from its watery bed in September, 1985. The aircraft is now in Brooklands Museum, Weybridge and is one of two Wellington Bombers still intact.
Supply agreement signed with MGI following closure of original UK manufacturing mill IMI Yorkshire Imperial Metals.
One of the most iconic structures in London & recognized around the world is Tower Bridge. The hydraulic systems were totally revamped some 20 years ago in an attempt to bring the antiquated bridge lifting & lowering mechanism in to the 21st century. Tungum Alloy tubing was the material of choice to ensure a further hundred years of trouble free hydraulic operation.
In 2009 a leading deepwater project company BJ Services (a Baker Hughes Incorporated company) was building a new oilfield services vessel – the Blue Dolphin. On previous vessels they had experienced corrosion problems after using stainless steel tubing for the hydraulic, potable water and chemical tube lines used to transfer chemicals to the mix tanks. By selecting Tungum tubing a leading deepwater project company was able to reduce the risk of tube line failure due to saltwater corrosion while also cutting downtime and refit costs.
The conversion of VLCC tanker Ex-Bourgogne to PSVM FPSO was completed in April 2010 Tungum Tubing was used extensively on marine systems and non-critical utility systems in accordance with PSVM Project requirements. Systems specified with Tungum tube include: Instrument Air, Utility Air, Starting Air, Potable Water, Hydraulic Fluid, Nitrogen, Vents & Sounds, Bilge, Black and Grey water. Tungum tube supplied from ¼” to 1” diameters.
3Sun Limited have been installing Tungum since they started working on this project in 2010, due to the excellent properties Tungum can offer to the offshore environment. By selecting Tungum tubing, 3Sun Limited were able to reduce the risk of tube line failure due to saltwater corrosion.
Sakhalin Island is in the northeast corner of Russia where the facility is exposed to Artic conditions. Tungum tubing is used for instrumentation lines on the Sakhalin 1 project. Tungum not only has excellent corrosion resistant properties, but can also operate effectively at extremely low temperatures due to it's excellent crogenic properties.
Gautrain is the first high speed rail system in Africa and uses rolling stock manufactured in the UK. Tungum tubing has been used and continues to be specified for the braking systems and hydraulic lines for these key benefits:
High resistance to fatigue and shock Corrosion resistance High strength to weight ratio Ease of manipulation, installation, flushing and commissioning Fit and forget Clean bore
Tungum tubing was used on a new Gulfstar FPS platform concept for the Gulf of Mexico. Where instrument tube failures of other materials have occurred due to pitting and crevice corrosion, operators have begun to refit with Tungum tube. This has extended to a new build by Williams Partners with Hess and Chevron Gulfstar in the Tubular Bells Field. Engineering design of this platform was carried out by Alliance Eng. Houston, Tx. Systems specified with Tungum tube include: Instrument Air, Utility Air, Starting Air, Potable Water, Hydraulic Fluid, Nitrogen, Vents & Sounds, Bilge, Black and Grey water. Tungum tube supplied from 3/8” to 1” diameters.
Drass Galeazzi, a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of saturation diving systems, has utilised Tungum tubing again as part of its state-of-the-art diving system rated to 300m on board a new Subsea 7 dive support vessel. Drass worked closely with Subsea 7 on the material specification for the system and Tungum tubing was selected for the following reasons:
Oxygen compatibility – endorsed by IMCA, D 012, ASTM G124-10 Corrosion resistance to sea water , especially in the splash zones Tungum last’s for the life time of the vessel Cost effective related to competitive alloys Ease of installation DNV approval
The BP-operated $28 billion project is the first subsea development in the Caspian Sea. At plateau, Shah Deniz 2 is expected to produce 16 billion cubic metres of gas per year (bcma) incrementally to current Shah Deniz production. Tungum tubing is used for it's excellent corrosion resistance and proven performance on on a number of the hydraulic and pnuematic instrumentation lines.
T2 Alloys Limited to supply Tungum tube for all DRASS S.A.V.E.R Systems.
With its portfolio of patented solutions for the monitoring and management of rescue operations, ventilation systems for distressed submarines, and the deployment of underwater scientific payloads and dual-use applications, DRASS continues to supply Naval Forces with state-of-the-art midget submarines, swimmer delivery vehicles and submarine rescue systems. In this context of innovation, DRASS S.A.V.E.R. (Submarine Assistance, Ventilation, Equipment and Rescue) utilizes Tungum tubing thanks to its high-quality tubing for oxygen lines and air systems as well as its resistance to corrosion from seawater.
December 2022, T2 Alloys LImited announce they will offer CPV Manufacturing products in Europe and other select markets. CPV Manufacturing was established in 1915 and is the recognized leader in the compressed gas industry supplying all the major industry leaders. CPV valves operate in high pressure applications up to 6000 psig (select products to 7500 psig) for critical gases such as Oxygen, Hydrogen, Helium, Argon, CO2, mixed gases, and specialty gases CPV coupled with Tungum tube offers the safest, highest quality, and most reliable tube-valve-fitting option on the market.
The Wadad Aletheia is a modern offshore support vessel delivered to CCC Underwater Engineering in the UAE. Built by ZPMC, this vessel is designed for a variety of subsea operations.
This vessel, one of the largest and most capable DSCVs in the world, features the DNV-classed DRASS i100 Series, utilising Tungum tube, which boasts a 24-man fully automated twin bell saturation diving system with a 3-diver air/nitrox surface diving spread.
