Chemical cast nickel-based alloys

The performance of a cast nickel-based alloy is generally based on the microstructural quality, such as the amount of interdendritic segregation, secondary carbides, and intermetallic phases. With the same overall chemical composition, the corrosion rate of the same alloy can vary by several orders of magnitude, depending on its particular microstructure. The most important metallurgical factors that need to be considered are second-phase precipitation by thermal instability and the presence of cold work. The latter is especially important in cases where SCC may be expected. (Rebak)5... 

Table 2-11. Approximate chemical composition of cast nickel-based alloys.

Based on the chemical composition, corrosion-resistant nickel-based alloys consist of commercially pure nickel. Ni-Cu alloys, Ni-Mo alloys, Ni-Cr-Mo alloys, and Ni-Cr-Fe alloys.63 The cast versions of the nickel-based alloys do not have the same corrosion resistance as the corresponding wrought products, mainly due to the higher carbon and silicon contents and the anisotropic microstructure of the cast products. (Rebak)5... 

Cast irons can be cast into intricate shapes because of their excellent fluidity and relatively low melting points and can be alloyed for improvement of corrosion resistance and strength. With proper alloying, the corrosion resistance of cast irons can equal or exceed that of stainless steels and nickel-base alloys. The wide spectrum of properties of cast iron is controlled by three main factors the chemical composition of the iron, the rate of cooling of the casting in the mold, and the type of carbide or graphite formed. 

Chromium is a refractory metal having a melting point of 3375°F (1857°C). Neither chromium metal nor chromium-based alloys are widely in the hydrocarbon or chemical industries. Chromium plating is useful for aesthetic purposes, and hard chromium plating finds some use in hardface applications. It is extensively used as an alloy addition to low-alloy steels (usually for the purpose of stabilizing carbides) and in cast irons (to produce wear-resistant products) and nickel alloys (for increased corrosion resistance). Chromium is the main alloying addition in the 400-series stainless steels and is used extensively in the 200- and 300-series stainless steels. 

Brasses and bronzes, iron-base alloys, nickel, monel, magnesium alloys, hard rubber, plastics, tin, aluminum, and like metals must be added to ordinary gray and white cast iron as materials for pump construction. Practically any alloy or modern metal can be fabricated into pumps, and it remains only for the chemical engineer to stipulate the kind of solution he wishes to handle, or the kind of metal, and the pump manufacturer will attempt to construct a pump for the service demanded. (See Perry s Chemical Engineers Handbook, 3d ed., p. 1424.)... 

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