Abstract: A method for making steel wires, wherein an elongate shaped wire is produced by rolling or drawing steel consisting of 0.05-0.5% C, 0.4-1.5% Mn, 0-2.5% Cr, 0.1-0.6% Si, 0-1% Mo, no more than 0.25% Ni, and no more than 0.02% S and P, and a first heat treatment is performed on the shaped wire, including at least one step of quenching under predetermined conditions to achieve an HRC hardness of at least 32, a predominately martensitic and bainitic steel structure and a small amount of ferrite. A shaped wire and a flexible tube for conveying an H.sub.2 S-containing effluent are disclosed.

Abstract: For diminishing coking in a petrochemical process, coking-resistant steel containing by weight:about 0.05% to 0.06% of carbon;about 2.5% to 5% of silicon;10% to 20% of chromium;10% to 15% of nickel0.5% to 1.5% of manganese;0-0.5% of titanium;at most 0.8% of aluminium;the complement to 100% being essentially iron,can be used to manufacture tubes and plates for producing reactors or elements thereof, as well as for coatings of the internal walls of furnaces, reactors or tubings where coking can occur.