Material selection temperature

The physical properties of argon, krypton, and xenon are frequendy selected as standard substances to which the properties of other substances are compared. Examples are the dipole moments, nonspherical shapes, quantum mechanical effects, etc. The principle of corresponding states asserts that the reduced properties of all substances are similar. The reduced properties are dimensionless ratios such as the ratio of a material s temperature to its critical... 

Other above-ground continuous flow systems have been designed and operated for SCWO processes. A system developed by ModeU Development Corp. (Modec) uses a tubular reactor and can be operated at temperatures above 500°C. It employs a pressure letdown system in which soHd, Hquids, and gases are separated prior to pressure release. This simplifies valve design and material selection on the Hquid leg. 

The fifth component is the stmcture, a material selected for weak absorption for neutrons, and having adequate strength and resistance to corrosion. In thermal reactors, uranium oxide pellets are held and supported by metal tubes, called the cladding. The cladding is composed of zirconium, in the form of an alloy called Zircaloy. Some early reactors used aluminum fast reactors use stainless steel. Additional hardware is required to hold the bundles of fuel rods within a fuel assembly and to support the assembhes that are inserted and removed from the reactor core. Stainless steel is commonly used for such hardware. If the reactor is operated at high temperature and pressure, a thick-walled steel reactor vessel is needed. 

At very high and very low temperatures, material selection becomes an important design issue. At low temperatures, the material must have sufficient toughness to preclude transition of the tank material to a brittle state. At high temperatures, corrosion is accelerated, and thermal expansion and thermal stresses of the material occur. 

Careflil material selection is required to prevent brittle failure of tanks at low temperatures. In addition, for tanks where the service temperatures are reduced, it is essential that an engineering analysis be performed to ensure that the tanks are not subject to brittle failure at the house temperature. The tank and vessel codes usually specify allowable materials based on design temperature. Further information about selection of metals for low temperature is available (8). 

Temperature. The temperature of the liquid being pumped is important because it affects the seal face material selection as well as the wear life of the seal face. 

Materials selection for low-temperature service is a specialized area. In general, it is necessaiy to select materials and fabrication methods which will provide adequate toughness at all operating conditions. It is frequently necessaiy to specify Charpy V-notch (or other appropriate) qu fication tests to demonstrate adequate toughness of carbon and low-aUoy steels at minimum operating temperatures. 

Another serious problem in heat exchangers is corrosion. Severe corrosion can and does occur in tubing and very often with common fluids such as water. Proper material selection based on a full analysis of the operating fluids, velocities and temperatures is mandatory. Very often, heavier gauge tubing is specified to offset the effects of corrosion, but this is only a partial solution. This should be followed by proper start-up, operating and shut-down procedures. 

The properties that materials must have for a particular application depend largely on the environment in which they are to be used in. Material selection begins from determination of equipment, operating conditions, temperature, pressure, and various components in the process. 

Other detrimental factors which should to be taken into account in the materials selection process include temperature cycling and the presence of halide gases. Specialist alloys containing rare earth element additions such as cerium, lanthanum and yttrium have been developed for use in certain environments up to 130°C. 

During the materials selection procedure isothermal corrosion testing may indicate the suitability of a material for handling a corrosive process fluid. In many cases where heat transfer is involved the metal wall temperature experienced in service is higher than the bulk process fluid temperature. This, and the actual heat transfer through the material, must be taken into account since both factors can increase corrosion rates significantly. 

There are several ways in which the impact properties of plastics can be improved if the material selected does not have sufficient impact strength. One method is by altering the composition of the material so that it is no longer a glassy plastic at the operating temperature of the product (Chapter 6). In the case of PVC this is done by the addition of an impact modifier which can be a compatible plastic such as an acrylic or a nitrile rubber. The addition of such a material lowers the glass transition temperature and the material becomes a rubbery viscoelastic plastic with much improved impact properties. This is one of the methods in which PVC materials are made to exhibit superior impact properties. 

The system works interactively with the user to select the best material for the specified application, educating the novice and informing the expert. Users can access definitions of materials, their advantages and disadvantages, compare graphs of flexural modulus vs. temperature, review data sheets and explore materials selection examples. The system is also hyper-linked to complete material supplier information and online help. 

Material selection should be compatible with all states of the C02 stream. They should be defined to prevent corrosion and maximum material stress. In addition, eligible materials need to be qualified for the potential low temperature conditions that may occur during a pipeline depressurisation situation. 

To plan the tests correctly and economically requires knowledge of the performance of the material at the start. It is easy to select temperatures which lead to failure in times either too short to satisfy the standard, or too long to wait for. Adding a contingency for this adds considerably to the cost of testing. 

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