Stainless steels creep resistance

Forming and fabrication characteristics are described in Section 3.3 on stainless steels. Creep-resisting steels are, of course, intended to resist deformation at elevated temperatures, but in fact the mechanical power required for deformation at the forging temperature is little greater than that required for the stainless steels. 

Austenitic stainless steel—excellent resistance to oxidation. High tensile and good creep strength at elevated temperature. Satisfactory for service in selected applications to 2000 F (1093 C). 

Standard Wrought Steels. Steels containing 11% and more of chromium are classed as stainless steels. The prime characteristics are corrosion and oxidation resistance, which increase as the chromium content is increased. Three groups of wrought stainless steels, series 200, 300, and 400, have composition limits that have been standardized by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AlSl) (see Steel). Figure 8 compares the creep—mpture strengths of the standard austenitic stainless steels that are most commonly used at elevated temperatures (35). Compositions of these steels are Hsted in Table 3. 

The highly aHoyed austenitic stainless steels are proprietary modifications of the standard AISI 316 stainless steel. These have higher creep—mpture strengths than the standard steels, yet retain the good corrosion resistance and forming characteristics of the standard austenitic stainless steels. Nickel-Base Superalloys. 

Vessels for high-temperature serviee may be beyond the temperature hmits of the stress tables in the ASME Codes. Sec tion TII, Division 1, makes provision for construction of pressure vessels up to 650°C (1200°F) for carbon and low-alloy steel and up to 815°C (1500°F) for stainless steels (300 series). If a vessel is required for temperatures above these values and above 103 kPa (15 Ibf/in"), it would be necessaiy, in a code state, to get permission from the state authorities to build it as a special project. Above 815°C (1500°F), even the 300 series stainless steels are weak, and creep rates increase rapidly. If the metal which resists the pressure operates at these temperatures, the vessel pressure and size will be limited. The vessel must also be expendable because its life will be short. Long exposure to high temperature may cause the metal to deteriorate and become brittle. Sometimes, however, economics favor this type of operation. 

Fig. 1.3. The fire grate, which carries the white-hot fire inside the firebox, must resist oxidation and creep. Stainless steel is best for this application. Note also the threaded monel stays which hold the firebox sides together against the internal pressure of the steam.

Furnace tubes, piping, and exchanger tubing with metal temperatures above 800°F now tend to be an austenitic stainless steel, e.g., Type 304, 321, and 347, although the chromium-molybdenum steels are still used extensively. The stainless steels are favored beeause not only are their creep and stress-rupture properties superior at temperatures over 900°F, but more importantly because of their vastly superior resistance to high-temperature sulfide corrosion and oxidation. Where corrosion is not a significant factor, e.g., steam generation, the low alloys, and in some applications, carbon steel may be used. 

This test measures the ability of a tape to resist creep under applied load. The test is covered in ASTM D-3654 and PSTC-7. A specified area (typically 12.7 mmx 12.7 mm) of conditioned tape is rolled down with a specified pressure on the substrate of choice, such as polished 302 stainless steel. The panel is fixed in the vertical position or up to 2° tilted back so that there is no element of low angle peel in the test (Fig. lb). A weight (often 1000 g) is fixed to the end of the tape and the time to failure, i.e. complete detachment from the plate, is measured. Infrequently, the time required for the tape to creep a given distance is measured and reported. 

Creep-resisting steels often have to be used in thicker sections than is the case with stainless types and this can lead to the need for special techniques for forming and welding. 

SI temperatures are given for a number of tests, including some carbon and low-alloy types for comparison, in Table 7.8. As well as the types listed in Table 7.7, a selection of creep-resisting grades is included. In addition some of the special stainless steels (see Section 3-3) are also included to demonstrate the effects of some other alloying elements. 

Ni-state-of-the-art anodes contain Cr to eliminate the problem of sintering. However, Ni-Cr anodes are susceptible to creep, while Cr can be lithiated by the electrolyte and consumes carbonate, leading to efforts to decrease Cr. State-of-the-art cathodes are made of lithiated-NiO. Dissolution of the cathode is probably the primary life-limiting constraint of MCFCs, particularly under pressurised operation. The present bipolar plate consists of the separator, the current collectors, and the seal. The bipolar plates are usually fabricated from thin sheets of a stainless steel alloy coated on one side by a Ni layer, which is stable in the reducing environment of the anode. On the cathode side, contact electrical resistance increases as an oxide layer builds up (US DOE, 2002 Larminie et al., 2003 Yuh et al., 2002). 

The cyclones in both unit types are lined with erosion resistant refractory. The cydones in the reactors are usually made of carbon steel the cyclones in the regenerators are made of either 2%Cr-l Mo or type 304 (UNS S30400) or 321 (UNS S32100) stainless steel (SS). Oxidation resistance and creep strength, rather than sulfur attack, govern the selection of the cyclone material. 

Heat transfer to the tubes on the furnace walls is predominantly by radiation. In modern designs this radiant section is surmounted by a smaller section in which the combustion gases flow over banks of tubes and transfer heat by convection. Extended surface tubes, with fins or pins, are used in the convection section to improve the heat transfer from the combustion gases. Plain tubes known as shock tubes are used in the bottom rows of the convection section to act as a heat shield from the hot gases in the radiant section. Heat transfer in the shield section will be by both radiation and convection. The tube sizes used will normally be between 75 and 150 mm diameter. The tube size and number of passes used depend on the application and the process-fluid flow rate. Typical tube velocities will be from 1 to 2 m/s for heaters, with lower rates used for reactors. Carbon steel is used for low temperature duties stainless steel and special alloy steels, for elevated temperatures. For high temperatures, a material that resists creep must be used. 

Above temperatures of 900°F, the austenitic stainless steel and other high alloy materials demonstrate increasingly superior creep and stress-rupture properties over the chromium-molybdenum steels. For furnace hangers, tube supports, and other hardware exposed to firebox temperatures, cast alloys of 25 Cr-20 Ni and 25 Cr-12 Ni are frequently used. These materials are also generally needed because of their resistance to oxidation and other high temperature corrodents. 

The reheater tube failed due to oil ash corrosion, resulting in thinning and creep. Reducing conditions caused carburization of stainless steel. The microstructure had transformed to carbides along the austenitic grains. Carburization and sensitization contributed to a reduction in corrosion resistance that resulted in significant wall loss. The OD deposits also point to the presence of low-melting compounds that caused oil ash corrosion. 

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