A335 P92 (corresponding to Chinese standard grade 10Cr9MoW2VNbBN) is a next-generation martensitic heat-resistant steel developed from P91. By adding tungsten (W) to 9% chromium steel and increasing the molybdenum equivalent (Mo+0.5W) from approximately 1% in P91 to about 1.5%, the material's high-temperature performance has been significantly enhanced.

Primary application areas include:

Ultra-supercritical Thermal Power Generation: P92 is the core material for main steam pipelines and reheat steam pipelines in 1000MW-class ultra-supercritical units, with a maximum design operating temperature of 625°C. At 600°C, the design allowable stress reaches 128MPa, and high-temperature creep strength ≥100MPa. Its high-temperature creep rupture strength is approximately 30% higher than P91, with a single million-kilowatt unit consuming up to 800 tons.

Boiler Key Components: Widely used in boiler headers, superheaters, reheaters, and other pressure parts. It is one of the preferred steel grades for large-scale thermal power plant equipment manufacturing both domestically and internationally.

Petrochemical Industry: Applied in hydrogenation reactor pipelines, cracking furnace tubes, and other high-temperature and high-pressure systems.

Nuclear Power: Also utilized in secondary-side piping systems of third-generation nuclear power plants such as AP1000.

Compared to austenitic stainless steels, P92 offers advantages including strong corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion coefficient.

II. Domestic Steel Mills with Competitive Advantages

The development of P92 steel is challenging, requiring extremely high standards in process design and production control. Currently, only a limited number of domestic steel mills have achieved stable production capacity.

1. Beizhong Group — Market Share Leader

Beizhong Group holds over 80% market share in the domestic P92 steel pipe sector. Its products pass 28 inspection indicators, and its technological achievements have won the China Electric Power Science and Technology Innovation First Prize. The group has achieved full-size coverage from Φ89 to Φ813, with extensive engineering track records in supplying four major pipelines for ultra-supercritical units.

2. Yonggang Group — Advantages in Billet Production

Yonggang Group successfully trial-produced SA335 P92 in 2017 and now has the capacity to produce continuous casting round billets in specifications ranging from φ380mm to φ800mm, giving it a competitive edge in the domestic large-size billet market. The company's P91, P92, and other high-alloy large round billet products hold a leading market position in China. Additionally, it has been selected as a national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factory, continuously improving product quality control and cost optimization.

3. Hebei Hongrun Nuclear Equipment — Unique Equipment and Process

Hongrun Nuclear Equipment utilizes a 50,000-ton vertical extrusion press to produce large-diameter P92 seamless steel pipes. In collaboration with Baowu Special Steel, it employs high-quality steel ingots, resulting in products with dense structure and excellent performance. Its P92 steel pipes have passed product certification by the National Power Equipment Center, with all performance indicators meeting GB/T 5310 and ASME SA335 standard requirements.

4. Other Producers

Baosteel Special Steel, Tianguan Group, Xinxing Ductile Iron, and other enterprises have also achieved mass production validation of P92-related products, promoting the localization process of this material.

III. Comprehensive Competitive Advantages

The competitive advantages of domestic steel mills in P92 products are primarily reflected in: first, significantly reduced procurement costs through import substitution; second, improved product quality stability driven by intelligent and digital transformation (e.g., Yonggang's smart factory project achieved over 12% production efficiency increase and 15.7% defect rate reduction); and third, continuous breakthroughs in high-end specifications such as large-diameter and thick-wall pipes, gradually reducing dependence on imports.