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Conference Article: Thermal stability and environmental compatibility of Inconel 617

Kimball, O.F. (Oak Ridge National Lab., Oak Ridge, TN (USA). Metals and Ceramics Div.)

Abstract

The thermal stability and environmental compatibility of Inconel 617, a prime nuclear process heat steam reformer candidate alloy, are described in this paper. This commercially available wrought nickel-base alloy has excellent high-temperature strength but is subject to loss of toughness and ductility due to thermal instability. Work done to improve the thermal stability of this alloy is discussed. Room-temperature tensile and toughness data and microstructural information for Inconel 617 specimens exposed at elevated temperatures are presented. Preliminary data indicate that controlling the chemistry of Inconel 617 can provide a substantial improvement in thermal stability. Preliminary work to define the range of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) primary coolant compositions within which minimal deleterious gas/metal reactions occur with Inconel 617 is described. Within this gas chemistry range a stable surface oxide forms and only slight carburization occurs. In other gas chemistry ranges, rapid carburization or decarburization can occur. The gas corrosion experiments discussed are part of a series of relatively short-term exposures to HTGR helium in which the effects of different H2O concentrations (0.01 to 1.0 Pa) were determined as a function of the systematic variation of a second constituent (CO and CH4 for this work) in the test gas. The composition of the basic HTGR helium was 40 Pa H2, 4 Pa CO, 0.02 Pa CO2, 2 Pa CH4 in helium at 0.2 MPa. Two other CO levels (1 and 12 Pa) and one additional CH4 level (0.63 Pa) were used in these experiments. Experimental exposure methods are discussed and the results of gas-metal interaction studies are presented. These results include carbon analyses and optical and scanning electron microscopy to determine the morphology and type of surface and subsurface microstructures.

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key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
High temperature metallic materials for gas-cooled reactors. Proceedings of a specialists meeting held in Cracow, 20-23 June 1988
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). International Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors
IWGGCR--18, pp:62-69