Martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods, and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

The invention provides a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods having high strength, and excellent sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance and a method for manufacturing the same. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods has a yield stress of 655 to 758 MPa, and has a composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.10% or less, Si: 0.5% or less, Mn: 0.05 to 2.0%, P: 0.030% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Ni: 4.0 to 8.0%, Cu: 0.02% or more and less than 1.0%, Cr: 10.0 to 14.0%, Mo: 1.0 to 3.5%, V: 0.003 to 0.2%, Co: 0.02% or more and less than 1.0%, Al: 0.1% or less, N: 0.1% or less, Ti: 0.50% or less, and the balance Fe and incidental impurities, wherein C, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, W, Nb, N, and Ti satisfy the predetermined relations.

Claims

1. A martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods, the martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe having a composition comprising, in mass %, C: 0.10% or less, Si: 0.5% or less, Mn: 0.35 to 2.0%, P: 0.030% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Ni: 4.0 to 8.0%, Cu: 0.02% or more and less than 1.0%, Cr: 10.0 to 14.0%, Mo: 1.0 to 3.5%, V: 0.003 to 0.2%, Co: 0.02% or more and less than 0.9%, Al: 0.1% or less, N: 0.1% or less, Ti: 0.50% or less, and the balance Fe and incidental impurities, and satisfying the following formulae (1) and (2):
−15≤−109.37C+7.307Mn+6.399Cr+6.32Cu+11.343Ni−13.529Mo+1.276W+2.925Nb+196.775N−2.621Ti−120.307≤30,  Formula (1)
−0.20≤−1.324C+0.0533Mn+0.0268Cr+0.0893Cu+0.0623Co+0.00526Ni+0.0222Mo−0.0132W−0.473N−0.5Ti−0.514≤20,  Formula (2) wherein C, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, W, Nb, N, and Ti represent the content of each element in mass %, and the content is 0 (zero) for elements that are not contained, and wherein the martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe does not crack when subjected to a sulfide stress corrosion test according to NACE TM0177 Method A, using a 0.165 mass % NaCl aqueous solution with a liquid temperature of 25° C., H.sub.2S: 1 bar and CO.sub.2 bal., the NaCl solution adjusted to a pH of 3.5 with addition of 0.41 g/L of CH.sub.3COONa and HCl, and applying a stress of 90% of the yield stress under a hydrogen sulfide partial pressure of 0.1 MPa for 720 hours in the NaCl solution, wherein the martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe has a yield stress of 655 MPa or more and 750 MPa or less.

2. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises, in mass %, one or two selected from Nb: 0.1% or less, and W: 1.0% or less.

3. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises, in mass %, one, two or more selected from Ca: 0.005% or less, REM: 0.010% or less, Mg: 0.010% or less, and B: 0.010% or less.

4. A method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for all country tubular goods according to claim 1, the method comprising: forming a steel pipe from a steel pipe material of the composition of claim 1; quenching the steel pipe by heating the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and cooling the steel pipe to a temperature of 190° C. or less; and tempering the steel pipe at a temperature of 550 to 680° C.; thereby producing martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe of claim 1.

5. The method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 4, wherein the quenching that heats the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and that cools the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less involves a cooling rate of 0.05° C./s or more.

6. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 2, wherein the composition further comprises, in mass %, one, two or more selected from Ca: 0,005% or less, REM: 0.010% or less, Mg: 0.010% or less, and B: 0.010% or less.

7. A method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 2, the method comprising: forming a steel pipe from a steel pipe material of the composition of claim 2; quenching the steel pipe by heating the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and cooling the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less; and tempering the steel pipe at a temperature of 550 to 680° C.

8. A method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 3, the method comprising: forming a steel pipe from a steel pipe material of the composition of claim 3; quenching the steel pipe by heating the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and cooling the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less; and tempering the steel pipe at a temperature of 550 to 680° C.

9. A method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 6, the method comprising: forming a steel pipe from a steel pipe material of the composition of claim 6; quenching the steel pipe by heating the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and cooling the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less; and tempering the steel pipe at a temperature of 550 to 680° C.

10. The method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 7, wherein the quenching that heats the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and that cools the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less involves a cooling rate of 0.05° C./s or more.

11. The method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 8, wherein the quenching that heats the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and that cools the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less involves a cooling rate of 0.05° C./s or more.

12. The method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 9, wherein the quenching that heats the steel pipe to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and that cools the steel pipe to a temperature of 100° C. or less involves a cooling rate of 0.05° C./s or more.

13. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the yield stress is 655 MPa or more and 742 MPa or less.

14. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the Co is 0.02% or more and 0.6% or less.

15. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 13, wherein the Co is 0.02% or more and 0.6% or less.

16. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the Co is 0.18% or more and less than 0.9%.

17. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 13, wherein the Co is 0.18% or more and less than 0.9%.

18. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the Co is 0.18% or more and 0.6% or less.

19. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 13, wherein the Co is 0.18% or more and 0.6% or less.

20. The martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods according to claim 1, wherein the Cu is 0.02% or more and 0.6% or less.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(1) The following describes the reasons for specifying the composition of a steel pipe of the present invention. In the following, “%” means percent by mass, unless otherwise specifically stated.

(2) C: 0.10% or Less

(3) C is an important element involved in the strength of the martensitic stainless steel, and is effective at improving strength. However, when C is contained in an amount of more than 0.10%, the hardness becomes excessively high, and susceptibility to sulfide stress corrosion cracking increases. For this reason, the C content is limited to 0.10% or less in an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the C content is 0.05% or less. In order to provide the desired strength, it is desirable to contain C in an amount of 0.005% or more.

(4) Si: 0.5% or Less

(5) Si acts as a deoxidizing agent, and is contained in an amount of desirably 0.05% or more. A Si content of more than 0.5% impairs carbon dioxide corrosion resistance and hot workability. For this reason, the Si content is limited to 0.5% or less. Preferably, the Si content is 0.10 to 0.3%.

(6) Mn: 0.05 to 2.0%

(7) Mn is an element that improves hot workability, and is contained in an amount of 0.05% or more. When Mn is contained in an amount of more than 2.0%, the effect becomes saturated, and the cost increases. For this reason, the Mn content is limited to 0.05 to 2.0%. Preferably, the Mn content is 1.5% or less.

(8) P: 0.030% or Less

(9) P is an element that impairs carbon dioxide corrosion resistance, pitting corrosion resistance, and sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance, and should desirably be contained in as small an amount as possible in the present invention. However, an excessively small P content increases the manufacturing cost. For this reason, the P content is limited to 0.030% or less, which is a content range that does not cause a severe impairment of characteristics, and that is economically practical in industrial applications. Preferably, the P content is 0.020% or less.

(10) S: 0.005% or Less

(11) S is an element that seriously impairs hot workability, and should desirably be contained in as small an amount as possible. A reduced S content of 0.005% or less enables pipe production using an ordinary process, and the S content is limited to 0.005% or less in an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the S content is 0.003% or less.

(12) Ni: 4.0 to 8.0%

(13) When contained in an amount of 4.0% or more, Ni increases the strength of the protective coating, and improves the corrosion resistance. Ni also increases steel strength by forming a solid solution. With a Ni content of more than 8.0%, the martensite phase becomes less stable, and the strength decreases. For this reason, the Ni content is limited to 4.0 to 8.0%. Preferably, the Ni content is 7.0% or less.

(14) Cu: 0.02% or More and Less than 1.0%

(15) Cu is contained in an amount of 0.02% or more to increase the strength of the protective coating, and improve sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance. However, when contained in an amount of 1.0% or more, Cu precipitates into CuS, and impairs hot workability. For this reason, the Cu content is less than 1.0%. When contained with Co, Cu reduces hydrogen embrittlement, and improves the sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance. The Cu content is more preferably 0.03 to 0.6%.

(16) Cr: 10.0 to 14.0%

(17) Cr is an element that forms a protective coating, and improves the corrosion resistance. The required corrosion resistance for oil country tubular goods can be provided when Cr is contained in an amount of 10.0% or more. A Cr content of more than 14.0% facilitates ferrite generation, and a stable martensite phase cannot be provided. For this reason, the Cr content is limited to 10.0 to 14.0%. Preferably, the Cr content is 11.5 to 13.5%.

(18) Mo: 1.0 to 3.5%

(19) Mo is an element that improves the resistance against pitting corrosion by Cl.sup.−. Mo needs to be contained in an amount of 1.0% or more to obtain the corrosion resistance necessary for a severe corrosive environment. When Mo is contained in an amount of more than 3.5%, the effect becomes saturated. Mo is also an expensive element, and such a high Mo content increases the manufacturing cost. For this reason, the Mo content is limited to 1.0 to 3.5%. Preferably, the Mo content is 1.2 to 3.0%.

(20) V: 0.003 to 0.2%

(21) V needs to be contained in an amount of 0.003% or more to improve steel strength through precipitation hardening, and to improve sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance. Because a V content of more than 0.2% impairs toughness, the V content is limited to 0.2% or less in an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the V content is 0.08% or less.

(22) Co: 0.02% or More and Less than 1.0%

(23) Co is an element that improves the pitting corrosion resistance, and is contained in an amount of 0.02% or more. However, an excessively high Co content may impair toughness, and increases the material cost. For this reason, the Co content is limited to 0.02% or more and less than 1.0%. When contained with Cu, Co reduces hydrogen embrittlement, and improves the sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance. The Co content is more preferably 0.03 to 0.6%.

(24) Al: 0.1% or Less

(25) Al acts as a deoxidizing agent, and an Al content of 0.01% or more is effective for obtaining this effect. However, Al has an adverse effect on toughness when contained in an amount of more than 0.1%. For this reason, the Al content is limited to 0.1% or less in an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the Al content is 0.01 to 0.03%.

(26) N: 0.1% or Less

(27) N is an element that greatly improves pitting corrosion resistance. However, N forms various nitrides, and impairs toughness when contained in an amount of more than 0.1%. For this reason, the N content is limited to 0.1% or less in an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the N content is 0.003% or more. The N content is more preferably 0.004 to 0.08%, further preferably 0.005 to 0.05%.

(28) Ti: 0.50% or Less

(29) Ti forms carbides, and can reduce hardness by reducing solid-solution carbon. However, the Ti content is limited to 0.50% or less, preferably 0.30% or less, because an excessively high Ti content may impair toughness.

(30) In an embodiment of the present invention, C, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, W, Nb, N, and Ti are contained so as to satisfy the following formulae (1) and (2).

(31) Formula (1) correlates these elements with an amount of retained y. The retained austenite occurs in smaller amounts, and the hardness decreases when the value of formula (1) is 30 or less. This improves the sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance. When the value of formula (1) is less than −15, the amount of retained austenite remains the same, and the toughness decreases. The formula (2) correlates the elements with pitting corrosion potential. By containing C, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, W, N, and Ti so as to satisfy the predetermined range, it is possible to reduce generation of pitting corrosion, which becomes an initiation point of sulfide stress corrosion cracking, and to greatly improve sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance.
−15≤−109.37C+7.307Mn+6.399Cr+6.329Cu+11.343Ni−13.529Mo+1.276W+2.925Nb+196.775N−2.621Ti−120.307≤30  Formula (1)
−0.20≤−1.324C+0.0533Mn+0.0268Cr+0.0893Cu+0.0623Co+0.00526Ni+0.0222Mo−0.0132W−0.473N−0.5Ti−0.514≤0.20  Formula (2)

(32) In the formulae, C, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, W, Nb, N, and Ti represent the content of each element in mass %, and the content is 0 (zero) for elements that are not contained.

(33) At least one selected from Nb: 0.1% or less, and W: 1.0% or less may be contained as optional elements, as needed.

(34) Nb forms carbides, and can reduce hardness by reducing solid-solution carbon. However, Nb may impair toughness when contained in an excessively large amount. For this reason, Nb, when contained, is contained in a limited amount of 0.1% or less.

(35) W is an element that improves pitting corrosion resistance. However, W may impair toughness, and increases the material cost when contained in an excessively large amount. For this reason, W, when contained, is contained in a limited amount of 1.0% or less.

(36) One or more selected from Ca: 0.005% or less, REM: 0.010% or less, Mg: 0.010% or less, and B: 0.010% or less may be contained as optional elements, as needed.

(37) Ca, REM, Mg, and B are elements that improve corrosion resistance by controlling the form of inclusions. The desired contents for providing this effect are Ca: 0.0005% or more, REM: 0.0005% or more, Mg: 0.0005% or more, and B: 0.0005% or more. Ca, REM, Mg, and B impair toughness and carbon dioxide corrosion resistance when contained in amounts of more than Ca: 0.005%, REM: 0.010%, Mg: 0.010%, and B: 0.010%. For this reason, the contents of Ca, REM, Mg, and B, when contained, are limited to Ca: 0.005% or less, REM: 0.010% or less, Mg: 0.010% or less, and B: 0.010% or less.

(38) The balance is Fe and incidental impurities in the composition.

(39) The following describes a preferred method for manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel seamless pipe for oil country tubular goods of the present invention.

(40) In the present invention, a steel pipe material of the foregoing composition is used. However, the method of production of a stainless steel seamless pipe used as a steel pipe material is not particularly limited, and any known seamless steel pipe manufacturing method may be used.

(41) Preferably, a molten steel of the foregoing composition is made into steel using an ordinary steel making process such as by using a converter, and formed into a steel pipe material, for example, a billet, using a method such as continuous casting, or ingot casting-blooming. The steel pipe material is then heated, and hot worked into a pipe using a known pipe manufacturing process, for example, the Mannesmann-plug mill process, or the Mannesmann-mandrel mill process to produce a seamless steel pipe of the foregoing composition.

(42) The process after the production of the steel pipe from the steel pipe material is not particularly limited. Preferably, the steel pipe is subjected to quenching in which the steel pipe is heated to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, and cooled to a cooling stop temperature of 100° C. or less, followed by tempering at a temperature of 550 to 680° C.

(43) Quenching

(44) In an embodiment of the present invention, the steel pipe is reheated to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, held for preferably at least 5 min, and cooled to a cooling stop temperature of 100° C. or less. This makes it possible to produce a refined, tough martensite phase. When the heating temperature is less than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point, the microstructure does not occur in the austenite single-phase region, and a sufficient martensite microstructure does not occur in the subsequent cooling, with the result that the desired high strength cannot be obtained. For this reason, the quenching heating temperature is limited to a temperature equal to or greater than an Ac.sub.3 transformation point. The cooling method is not particularly limited. Typically, the steel pipe is air cooled (at a cooling rate of 0.05° C./s or more and 20° C./s or less) or water cooled (at a cooling rate of 5° C./s or more and 100° C./s or less), and the cooling rate conditions are not limited either. However, the cooling rate is preferably 0.05° C./s or more from the standpoint of improving corrosion resistance through refinement of the microstructure. The Ac.sub.3 transformation point (° C.) can be obtained by giving a heating and cooling temperature history to the test piece, and measuring the transformation point from a microdisplacement due to expansion and contraction.

(45) Tempering

(46) The quenched steel pipe is tempered. The tempering is a process in which the steel pipe is heated to 550 to 680° C., held for preferably at least 10 min, and air cooled. With a tempering temperature of less than 550° C., the tempering effect cannot be expected, and the desired strength cannot be achieved. With a high tempering temperature of more than 680° C., the martensite phase precipitates after the tempering, and the desired high toughness and corrosion resistance cannot be provided. For this reason, the tempering temperature is limited to 680° C. or less. The tempering temperature is preferably 605° C. or more and 640° C. or less.

Examples

(47) The present invention is further described below through Examples.

(48) Molten steels containing the components shown in Table 1 were made into steel with a converter, and cast into billets (steel pipe material) by continuous casting. The billet was hot worked into a pipe with a model seamless rolling mill, and cooled by air cooling or water cooling to produce a seamless steel pipe measuring 83.8 mm in outer diameter and 12.7 mm in wall thickness.

(49) Each seamless steel pipe was cut to obtain a test material, which was then subjected to quenching and tempering under the conditions shown in Table 2. An arc-shaped tensile test specimen specified by API standard was taken from the quenched and tempered test material, and the tensile properties (yield stress, YS; tensile strength, TS) were determined in a tensile test conducted according to the API specification. The Ac.sub.3 transformation point (° C.) in Table 2 was determined by measuring a microdisplacement due to the expansion and contraction of a test piece (ϕ=4 mm×10 mm) taken from the steel pipe. Specifically, the test piece was heated to 500° C. at 5° C./s, and, after increasing the temperature to 920° C. at 0.25° C./s, the expansion and contraction of the test piece with this temperature history were detected to obtain the Ac.sub.3 transformation point (° C.).

(50) The SSC test was conducted according to NACE TM0177, Method A. A test environment was created by adjusting the pH of a test solution (a 0.165 mass % NaCl aqueous solution; liquid temperature: 25° C.; H.sub.2S: 1 bar; CO.sub.2 bal.) to 3.5 with addition of 0.41 g/L of CH.sub.3COONa and HCl, and a stress 90% of the yield stress was applied under a hydrogen sulfide partial pressure of 0.1 MPa for 720 hours in the solution. Samples were determined as being acceptable when there was no crack in the test piece after the test, and unacceptable when the test piece had a crack after the test.

(51) The results are presented in Table 2.

(52) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 (mass %) Steel No. C Si Mn P S Cr Mo Ni Cu Co V Ti Al N A 0.019 0.19 0.65 0.018 0.001 12.4 1.2 6.6 0.03 0.04 0.004 0.11 0.051 0.0045 B 0.010 0.20 0.45 0.015 0.002 10.9 1.6 5.4 0.45 0.03 0.003 0.12 0.046 0.0112 C 0.028 0.18 0.78 0.013 0.001 13.2 2.5 4.9 0.03 0.38 0.004 0.22 0.042 0.0068 D 0.012 0.14 0.56 0.009 0.001 13.4 2.7 4.9 0.03 0.04 0.055 0.08 0.040 0.0071 E 0.005 0.19 1.28 0.021 0.001 13.8 3.0 6.3 0.52 0.56 0.005 0.07 0.044 0.0087 F 0.018 0.21 0.26 0.018 0.001 13.1 1.5 4.5 0.03 0.41 0.026 0.14 0.045 0.0096 G 0.009 0.20 0.66 0.017 0.001 13.2 2.6 4.4 0.33 0.02 0.035 0.11 0.036 0.0133 H 0.039 0.25 0.24 0.015 0.001 12.2 2.1 5.3 0.26 0.18 0.039 0.08 0.048 0.0087 I 0.11  0.32 0.95 0.016 0.002 13.4 2.9 6.4 0.32 0.44 0.044 0.13 0.055 0.0165 J 0.008 0.11 0.36 0.015 0.001 13.5 1.7 6.2 1.23 0.04 0.007 0.09 0.062 0.0113 K 0.007 0.18 0.42 0.017 0.001 13.2 1.6 6.4 0.42 1.16 0.042 0.11 0.058 0.0076 L 0.023 0.17 0.92 0.015 0.001 13.3 2.7 6.9 0.76 0.66 0.045 0.51 0.046 0.0043 M 0.009 0.19 0.30 0.018 0.001 10.9 2.4 5.5 0.42 0.05 0.044 0.12 0.036 0.0093 N 0.025 0.25 0.24 0.012 0.001 12.1 1.4 4.4 0.05 0.03 0.045 0.11 0.047 0.0064 (mass %) Value of Value of (mass %) formula (1) formula (2) Steel No. Nb W Others (*1) (*2) Remarks A — — —  21.1 −0.163 Compliant Example B 0.05 — REM: 0.0049  −3.9 −0.170 Compliant Example C — 0.32 B: 0.0018 −10.1 −0.166 Compliant Example D — — Ca: 0.0008 −11.4 −0.093 Compliant Example E — 0.46 —  13.1  0.053 Compliant Example F — — —  −4.1 −0.162 Compliant Example G 0.09 — — −12.6 −0.087 Compliant Example H — — Mg: 0.0024  −9.9 −0.161 Compliant Example I — — —  −1.4 −0.169 Comparative Example J — — —  24.9 −0.011 Comparative Example K — — —  21.3 −0.027 Comparative Example L — — —  15.1 −0.191 Comparative Example M — — — −15.3 −0.159 Comparative Example N — — — −11.6 −0.207 Comparative Example * Underline means outside the range of the invention * The remainder is Fe and incidental impurities (*1) Formula (1): −109.37C + 7.307Mn + 6.399Cr + 6.329Cu + 11.343Ni − 13.529Mo + 1.276W + 2.925Nb + 196.775N − 2.621Ti − 120.307 (*2) Formula (2): −1.324C + 0.0533Mn + 0.0268Cr + 0.0893Cu + 0.0623Co + 0.00526Ni + 0.0222Mo − 0.0132W − 0.473N − 0.5Ti − 0.514

(53) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Quenching Tempering AC.sub.3 Cooling transfor- Heating stop Heating Yield Tensile mation temper- Cooling temper- temper- Holding stress strength Steel point ature Cooling rate ature ature time YS TS No. No. (° C.) (° C.) method (° C./s) (° C.) (° C.) (min) (MPa) (MPa) SSC test Remarks 1 A 833 920 Air cooling 0.5 25 620 60 685 805 Acceptable Present Example 2 B 762 880 Air cooling 0.4 25 620 60 725 812 Acceptable Present Example 3 C 745 880 Air cooling 0.5 25 630 60 713 803 Acceptable Present Example 4 D 710 850 Air cooling 0.5 25 620 60 692 795 Acceptable Present Example 6 E 723 880 Air cooling 0.1 25 640 60 684 783 Acceptable Present Example 8 G 715 880 Air cooling 0.6 25 620 60 715 817 Acceptable Present Example 10 I 730 920 Air cooling 0.5 25 620 60 687 787 Unacceptable Comparative Example 11 J 783 930 Air cooling 0.2 25 620 60 695 793 Unacceptable Comparative Example 12 K 823 930 Air cooling 0.7 25 620 60 692 811 Unacceptable Comparative Example 13 L 787 920 Air cooling 0.3 25 620 60 714 823 Unacceptable Comparative Example 15 M 710 880 Air cooling 0.5 25 620 60 722 821 Unacceptable Comparative Example 16 N 730 880 Air cooling 0.4 25 620 60 686 795 Unacceptable Comparative Example 17 D 710 850 Water cooling 30 25 605 60 742 817 Acceptable Present Example 18 F 750 920 Air cooling 0.1 25 615 60 688 794 Acceptable Present Example 19 H 728 920 Air cooling 0.3 25 610 60 732 796 Acceptable Present Example * Underline means outside the range of the invention

(54) The steel pipes of the present examples all had high strength with a yield stress of 655 MPa or more and 758 MPa or less, demonstrating that the steel pipes were martensitic stainless steel seamless pipes having excellent SSC resistance that do not crack even when placed under a stress in a H.sub.2S-containing environment. On the other hand, in Comparative Examples outside the range of the present invention, the steel pipes did not have desirable SSC resistance, even though the desired high strength was obtained.