Chronickels

Nickel news, views, commentary and insights

NOVEMBER 16 - 2023

Full spead ahead - Nickel in India's rapidly expanding rail networks

The ambitious future of India’s rail infrastructure requires prudent investments that ensure its long-term viability. This is where nickel-containing steels play a vital role.

STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL MAGAZINE TRANSPORTATION
SEPTEMBER 08 - 2023

Ferronickel and NPI importers to the EU: get ready for the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and its data collection and submission requirements

After several years of negotiation between EU institutions, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Regulation was adopted in 2023.

STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL ALLOYS EU POLICY REGULATION
AUGUST 08 - 2023

The EU Battery regulation: what does it mean for nickel producers?

The new EU Battery regulation has implications for nickel producers both inside and outside Europe. If they are supplying material to the EU battery chain destined for the European market all producers need to comply with the new rules.

BATTERIES EU POLICY SUPPLY CHAIN ELECTRIC VEHICLES REGULATION
JUNE 06 - 2023

How food standards save lives

World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2023 draws attention to food standards. Foodborne diseases affect 1 in 10 people worldwide each year, and food standards help us to ensure what we eat is safe.

STAINLESS STEEL HEALTH FOOD SAFETY
MAY 10 - 2023

Nickel – a VIP solution…

Vacuum insulated piping (VIP) makes it possible to transport liquefied gases at temperatures well below 0 °C to facilitate the energy transition

STAINLESS STEEL RENEWABLE ENERGY
SEPTEMBER 06 - 2022

300 series austenitic alloys – Checking all the boxes

Materials selection for any piece of equipment or a process system is rarely a simple task, unless you are exactly replicating something successful. Often engineers will have a checklist to help them narrow down the choices, eliminating groups of materials that are not suitable for various reasons. Austenitic 300 series stainless steels containing 7-35% nickel will have most if not all of the boxes checked for being suitable where a stainless steel is desired.

STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL ALLOYS TOOL STEEL NICKEL STEEL TECHNICAL HELP
JUNE 10 - 2022

300 series vs. ferritic stainless steel – Which one should I choose?

Each family of stainless steels has its strengths and weaknesses. Ferritic stainless steels have useful properties – a lower rate of thermal expansion, higher thermal conductivity, strong ferromagnetism and very high resistance to chloride stress corrosion cracking (SCC). When looking at selecting any alloys, it is important to consider all the factors for successful usage.

NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL STEEL
JUNE 01 - 2022

The new San Giorgio bridge: stronger and more durable

Awareness about robustness and durability of bridge design has grown since Morandi’s time. The new San Giorgio Bridge (its successor) in Genoa was designed by Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2020.

NICKEL MAGAZINE NICKEL STEEL STAINLESS STEEL ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
MAY 17 - 2022

300 series vs. duplex stainless steel – Which one should I choose?

The duplex alloys are “problem-solving alloys” for good reason, they have been successfully used in many places where carbon steels and standard austenitic alloys have failed. Just like with the austenitic family, there are many different duplex alloys to choose from, with corrosion resistance varying from moderate with the lean duplex alloys to very high with the superduplex alloys.

NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL STEEL
APRIL 06 - 2022

300 vs 200 series stainless steels - Which alternative suits?

The selection of an alloy should be guided by careful examination of the needs of the application. Before making a switch, it’s important to fully investigate an alloy’s strengths, weaknesses and applicability to your structure.

NICKEL ALLOYS NICKEL STEEL STAINLESS STEEL
MARCH 10 - 2022

Will the EU’s proposed battery regulation drive the global ESG agenda for battery raw materials?

Batteries, notably those used in electric vehicles, play an essential role in the plans of the European Commission to deliver the EU Green Deal. They are considered as a critical and strategic technology to achieve Europe´s ambitious climate change mitigation targets and to move towards green and sustainable mobility.

SUSTAINABILITY BATTERIES EU POLICY SUPPLY CHAIN REGULATION
JANUARY 11 - 2022

Why China’s nickel carbon footprint assessment will advance global carbon neutrality

Major economies across the globe are setting climate neutrality targets. But proper measurement and methodologies are needed to provide transparency and common benchmarks when assessing carbon footprint. At a recent event in China, there was general consensus on the importance of adopting a harmonized approach to carbon footprint calculation and disclosure.

CHINA SUSTAINABILITY BATTERIES SUPPLY CHAIN
NOVEMBER 16 - 2021

Stainless steel: a lifetime of savings

While it may require an initial higher investment when compared with other materials, stainless steel’s unique properties deliver long-term performance and economic benefits including minimum downtime, reduced maintenance costs and reduced environmental impacts.

LIFE CYCLE COSTING STAINLESS STEEL ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SUSTAINABILITY RECYCLING
SEPTEMBER 23 - 2021

Wind and water - Nickel in clean energy

Even small quantities of nickel in an application can make a big difference to successful deployment.

NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL WATER SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS BATTERIES RENEWABLE ENERGY
SEPTEMBER 09 - 2021

The amazing role of high-temperature nickel alloys and stainless steels for Concentrated Solar Power

Nickel-based alloys and nickel-containing stainless are playing key roles in an emerging source of renewable energy known as thermal solar plants or concentrated solar power (CSP). Their use has enabled the industry to overcome challenges in heat transfer and thermal storage technology.

NICKEL MAGAZINE STAINLESS STEEL SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS BATTERIES RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
AUGUST 26 - 2021

Would you drink the water coming out of a municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility ?

“There’s a mental hurdle to get over of how inherently gross this could be, but we know that this water is safe, and we stand by our process.”

WATER
AUGUST 03 - 2021

Hot rocks - Geothermal and the role of nickel

Geothermal energy for electric power production has a low profile yet is significant in the current and potential energy mix for a number of countries. It has also been described as the most reliable of the renewable energy sources, above weather-dependent wind, solar and hydropower.

NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL RENEWABLE ENERGY NICKEL MAGAZINE
JANUARY 26 - 2021

A wealth of knowledge

A new generation of designers, materials specifiers, architects and engineers is being introduced to the wealth of technical information curated by the Nickel Institute. An archive of technical guides and know-how for working with nickel-containing materials, including stainless steel, that has been built over thirty years is now being updated and made freely available.

NICKEL ALLOYS NICKEL STEEL STAINLESS STEEL TECHNICAL HELP ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
NOVEMBER 24 - 2020

Customising the future – The next industrial revolution

If you’re like me and predictive text has led to some awkward if not amusing moments, you might be sceptical about Artificial Intelligence (AI). But its achievements are already overwhelming and changing, even protecting, our lives in many sectors.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
SEPTEMBER 25 - 2020

Investment strategy of automakers and auto-battery alliances

The present-day principal driver in the Li-ion industry is the large batteries required for electric vehicles. Due to the size of these batteries and the relative growth of electric vehicles it is predicted that the total Li-ion energy capacity will exceed one tera watt-hour by 2030. This anticipation for a dramatically rapidly expanding industry has stakeholders all along the value chain very motivated to be ready.

BATTERIES SUPPLY CHAIN
MAY 26 - 2020

Back in the Game

Space is hard but nickel makes it possible. The United States of America, through the private company SpaceX, imminently expects to regain its independent way into space.

NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL SPACE ROCKETS SPACEX
MAY 06 - 2020

Food safety: why stainless steel is a vital ingredient

Food safety starts with rigorous hygiene, and nickel-containing stainless steels are the superior, reliable standard at every link of the food chain.

STAINLESS STEEL SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOOD SAFETY HEALTH
JANUARY 30 - 2020

Lose the leaks

Partially corrugated stainless steel service pipes have reduced water leakage rates drastically in Tokyo where they were introduced in the 1980s. Now other innovative water authorities faced with the urgent need to reduce water loss are also examining the nickel-containing stainless steel solution.

WATER WATER PIPES WATER LOSS STAINLESS STEEL
JANUARY 06 - 2020

Is there enough nickel? Reserves, resources and recycling

Should we be worried about there being enough nickel to supply the transition to electric vehicles and cleaner energy sources? Given its wide range of uses in important existing and emerging technologies, this is a frequently asked question.

SUSTAINABILITY RAW MATERIALS RESOURCES AND RESERVES SUPPLY CHAIN RECYCLING