ASME U-Stamp Steam Generators for Air Products’ Samsung P Project in Korea

Compact Inconel 825 steam generators certified to ASME Section VIII — delivered on time for one of South Korea’s most demanding hydrogen generation facilities.

Customer	Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
End User / Site	Samsung Engineering — Samsung P Project, South Korea
Products	2 × Steam Generator
Unit Weight	710 kg each
Shell Dimensions	DN508 × THK8 × L1525 mm
Shell Material	SB424 N08825 (Inconel 825) / Duplex 2205
Tube Material	N08825 (Inconel 825)
Design Standard	ASME Section VIII Division 1 — U Stamp
Application	Hydrogen generation / industrial gas, petrochemical complex
Project Location	South Korea
Certification	ASME U Stamp

Customer Background & Industry Context

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is one of the world’s leading industrial gas companies, supplying hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and specialty gases to petrochemical, refining, semiconductor, and energy clients across more than 50 countries. Their engineering standards are uncompromising — every piece of equipment they procure must meet specific design codes, materials traceability requirements, and inspection protocols that align with their global quality management framework.

The Samsung P Project in South Korea represents a high-profile engagement at the intersection of two industrial heavyweights. Samsung Engineering — one of Korea’s largest and most technically rigorous EPC contractors — was responsible for executing the project, which serves a petrochemical complex requiring reliable on-site hydrogen generation capabilities. South Korea’s petrochemical industry is among the most advanced in Asia, with an integrated network of refineries, olefin crackers, and specialty chemical plants that collectively make the country one of the world’s top five petrochemical producers. Hydrogen purity, steam quality, and equipment reliability are non-negotiable in this environment.

For Air Products, sourcing steam generators for a Samsung-executed project in Korea meant operating under dual accountability: the exacting procurement standards of a global industrial gas leader combined with the demanding quality expectations of a Korean EPC contractor working at one of the country’s flagship industrial complexes.

Challenges & Pain Points

The specifications for this project presented a deceptively difficult fabrication challenge. At first glance, two steam generators weighing 710 kg each might appear modest by industrial pressure vessel standards. The reality was considerably more demanding.

Compact geometry in exotic alloy. The shell diameter of DN508 (approximately 20 inches) combined with a wall thickness of 8 mm and a shell length of 1,525 mm creates a geometry where weld quality, dimensional tolerances, and heat input control are critically important. Working with SB424 N08825 (Inconel 825) — a nickel-iron-chromium alloy with additions of molybdenum, copper, and titanium — at this compact scale requires specialized welding procedures and strict interpass temperature controls. Inconel 825 is selected specifically for its outstanding resistance to corrosion in reducing and oxidizing acid environments, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid, making it the right material for hydrogen-related steam service. However, its work-hardening behavior and sensitivity to heat input make it considerably more difficult to process than standard carbon or low-alloy steels.

ASME compliance in a Korean project context. ASME Section VIII Division 1 certification requires an Authorized Inspector present at all key stages of fabrication, rigorous NDE, a complete U-1 data report, and documentation traceability from raw material to final hydrostatic test. Samsung Engineering and Air Products both maintain their own supplier technical review processes that run in parallel with third-party inspection — meaning the documentation burden is multiplied. Suppliers who cannot maintain organized, complete quality packages in English and in the ASME-required format are quickly disqualified.

Dual-material construction. The combination of Inconel 825 for the shell and tubes with Duplex 2205 elements required careful consideration of dissimilar metal welding procedures, thermal expansion compatibility, and differential corrosion potential. Selecting the right filler materials and sequencing the weld procedures to meet ASME BPVC requirements adds engineering complexity beyond what a single-alloy vessel demands.

Schedule pressure. Korean EPC projects are known for aggressive procurement schedules. Delays in equipment delivery cascade directly into commissioning timelines at facilities where production slot commitments have already been made with end clients.

Why the Customer Chose Lmart

Air Products’ procurement team has a well-established process for qualifying pressure vessel manufacturers in China. Lmart had already been vetted and approved as a supplier on previous Air Products projects, which removed the most time-consuming phase of the procurement cycle — new vendor qualification. This existing relationship gave Air Products confidence that Lmart understood their documentation requirements, their NDE standards, and the specific expectations their Authorized Inspectors bring to shop surveillance visits.

Critically, Lmart holds an active ASME Certificate of Authorization with U Stamp endorsement. For a project requiring ASME U-certified vessels destined for a Korean industrial gas facility, this certification is a hard requirement, not a preference. The ASME Certificate of Authorization is issued only to manufacturers who have demonstrated a complete Quality Control System, passed an ASME joint review, and maintain ongoing compliance through regular audits.

Air Products also recognized Lmart’s proven capability in exotic alloy fabrication. The ability to handle Inconel 825 and Duplex 2205 in a compact vessel format — with full ASME documentation support — is not a capability available at every pressure vessel fabricator. Lmart’s track record on previous alloy projects gave Air Products the technical assurance needed to award the order without extended technical discussions.

Engineering & Manufacturing Solution

Lmart’s engineering team began with a detailed review of the process data sheet and design specification provided by Air Products. The steam generator design required careful thermal and mechanical calculations to confirm the shell and tube configuration, nozzle placements, and support arrangements within the DN508 × L1525 mm envelope.

Material procurement and verification. All SB424 N08825 plate material was sourced from mill-certified suppliers with full material test reports (MTRs) traceable to ASME Section II Part B requirements. Tube material in N08825 was similarly procured with full traceability. Incoming material inspection included dimensional verification, chemical composition review, and mechanical property confirmation against ASME requirements before any cutting or forming operations commenced.

Welding procedure qualification. Lmart maintains a library of pre-qualified Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) covering Inconel 825 and related nickel alloy materials. For this project, the applicable WPS documents were reviewed against the project-specific requirements, and Procedure Qualification Records (PQRs) were made available for the Authorized Inspector’s review. All welders assigned to the project held current performance qualifications for the relevant base metals and welding processes.

Forming and fit-up. Shell rolling of the 8 mm SB424 plate to DN508 required precise roll settings to achieve roundness tolerances consistent with ASME requirements and the close tolerances needed for tube-to-tubesheet joint integrity. Fit-up of nozzles, flanges, and internal components was performed to drawing tolerances with dimensional records maintained throughout.

Heat treatment and NDE. Post-weld heat treatment requirements were evaluated per ASME Section VIII Division 1 requirements. Non-destructive examination included radiographic testing (RT) of all Category A and B seam welds, liquid penetrant testing (PT) of all nozzle attachment welds, and visual examination at each stage of fabrication. All NDE was performed by ASME-qualified NDE personnel using approved procedures.

Why Inconel 825? Material Selection Rationale

Property	316L SS	Inconel 825 (N08825)	Inconel 625 (N06625)
SCC Resistance	Poor — fails in chloride environments	Excellent	Superior
Pitting Resistance (PREN)	~25	~33	~51
Max Service Temp	~450 °C	~540 °C	~650 °C
Weldability	Excellent	Good — requires qualified WPS	Good — requires qualified WPS
Relative Material Cost	1×	3–4×	6–8×
Typical Application	General chemical service	H&sub2;/syngas, high-purity gas, sulfuric acid	Subsea, ultra-high corrosion

For this service — high-purity hydrogen generation with mixed acid condensate — Inconel 825 provides the required corrosion resistance at roughly half the cost of Inconel 625, making it the engineering-optimal choice.

Project Execution, Quality Control, and Delivery

The Authorized Inspector from an ASME-accredited inspection agency attended the shop at designated hold points, including: material review, fit-up inspection prior to welding closure, NDE review, and final hydrostatic test. Lmart’s internal Quality Control system ensured that all inspection records, traveler documents, and test reports were organized and ready for review at each hold point, minimizing delays during shop surveillance.

Hydrostatic testing was conducted at the required test pressure per ASME Section VIII Division 1 UG-99, with the AI witness present. Both units passed without indication of leakage or visible deformation.

U-1 Data Reports were completed by Lmart’s ASME-authorized representative and countersigned by the Authorized Inspector, then submitted to the National Board for registration as required by the customer’s specification.

Export packaging was designed for safe ocean freight transit to South Korea. Both units were preserved against corrosion ingress during transit, with all openings blinded and desiccant applied inside nozzles. Shipping marks, crate dimensions, and export documentation were prepared in accordance with Air Products’ packaging and logistics requirements.

Delivery was completed within the agreed schedule, supporting Samsung Engineering’s procurement timeline for the Samsung P Project.

Results and Business Impact

Both steam generators were successfully delivered to the Samsung P Project site in South Korea and integrated into the hydrogen generation system as specified. The compact Inconel 825 units met all ASME certification requirements and passed the customer’s receiving inspection without exception.

For Air Products, the outcome confirmed Lmart’s reliability as a qualified supplier for exotic alloy, ASME-certified pressure vessels across multiple project contexts — from large-scale vessel packages to compact, precision-fabricated specialty equipment. The successful execution of this order reinforced Lmart’s position on Air Products’ approved vendor list for future projects in the Asia-Pacific region.

For the Samsung P Project, on-schedule delivery of ASME-certified steam generators supported the broader project commissioning timeline, avoiding the ripple-effect delays that late equipment delivery typically causes in integrated EPC schedules.

This project also demonstrates a practical point about Chinese fabricators that is often underappreciated in international procurement: ASME certification eliminates the code compliance gap. A U-Stamp vessel manufactured in Suzhou carries exactly the same legal certification status as one manufactured in Houston or Rotterdam. The competitive advantage is cost and lead time — without compromise on certification standing.

Customer Voice

Air Products selected Lmart for this project based on demonstrated capability and placed the order through a competitive qualification process — the strongest form of supplier endorsement in capital equipment procurement.

“The steam generators arrived complete with full ASME documentation and clean quality records — exactly what we needed for a Samsung project with tight inspection requirements. Lmart’s team was responsive throughout the fabrication period and the AI surveillance visits went smoothly. We’ll be looking at them again for future Air Products work in this region.”

— Project Engineer, Air Products Procurement (Asia-Pacific) (paraphrased from project review feedback)

Note: Lmart respects client confidentiality. Specific contact references are available upon request during the qualification process.