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Effect Of Thermal Aging On The Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Of High-Ni And Ni-Base Alloys

High-strength materials with excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties are highly sought after for use in light water reactor (LWR) type nuclear power plants (NPP). In western pressurized water reactors (PWR), nickel-base alloys are often the main structural materials for the steam generator (SG) tubes, while in Russian PWRs or water-water energetic reactor (VVER) high-nickel alloys, for example XH35BT (35 wt.% Ni), can be found in some primary side high strength applications, such as reactor pressure vessel internals (RVI).

Product Number: ED22-17125-SG
Author: Caitlin Huotilainen, Zaiqing Que, Yanling Ge, Petteri Lappalainen, Noora Hytönen, Ritva Korhonen, Santtu Huotilainen
Publication Date: 2022
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The long-term exposure of metallic structures, systems and components to power plant operating temperatures can lead to thermal aging and subsequent degradation. In a VVER-type pressurized water reactor, high-nickel alloys are used in some high-strength applications, such as fasteners in the primary circuit collector and reactor pressure vessel. In western pressurized water reactors, Ni-base alloys are the material of choice for the steam generator tubes. A reduction in the mechanical properties and cracking resistance of these alloys, due to thermal aging, has been identified as a degradation mode associated with some high nickel and nickel-base materials. In this study four industrial heats of thermally treated Alloy 690 and a XH35BT bolt have been aged in air at 400 °C up to 10kh and 15kh, respectively. They have been characterized in both their as-supplied and aged conditions using complementary techniques, including optical and electron microscopy, Vickers microhardness and, for some materials, electrical resistivity and X-ray diffraction measurements. An increased understanding of the thermal aging degradation mechanism would prove beneficial to operators and regulators alike, by demonstrating the long-term reliability of these components. Moreover, there is little publicly available information on the thermal aging behavior of high-Ni alloys in conditions relevant to the nuclear industry, and on the role of manufacturing details on the behavior of Ni-base alloys.

The long-term exposure of metallic structures, systems and components to power plant operating temperatures can lead to thermal aging and subsequent degradation. In a VVER-type pressurized water reactor, high-nickel alloys are used in some high-strength applications, such as fasteners in the primary circuit collector and reactor pressure vessel. In western pressurized water reactors, Ni-base alloys are the material of choice for the steam generator tubes. A reduction in the mechanical properties and cracking resistance of these alloys, due to thermal aging, has been identified as a degradation mode associated with some high nickel and nickel-base materials. In this study four industrial heats of thermally treated Alloy 690 and a XH35BT bolt have been aged in air at 400 °C up to 10kh and 15kh, respectively. They have been characterized in both their as-supplied and aged conditions using complementary techniques, including optical and electron microscopy, Vickers microhardness and, for some materials, electrical resistivity and X-ray diffraction measurements. An increased understanding of the thermal aging degradation mechanism would prove beneficial to operators and regulators alike, by demonstrating the long-term reliability of these components. Moreover, there is little publicly available information on the thermal aging behavior of high-Ni alloys in conditions relevant to the nuclear industry, and on the role of manufacturing details on the behavior of Ni-base alloys.