Creep Behavior of High Temperature Alloys for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems.

摘要

The Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) is one of the leading concepts of the Generation IV nuclear reactor development, which is the core component of Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The major challenge in the research and development of NGNP is the performance and reliability of structure materials at high temperature.;Alloy 617, with an exceptional combination of high temperature strength and oxidation resistance, has been selected as a primary candidate material for structural use, particularly in Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) which has an outlet temperature in the range of 850 to 950°C and an inner pressure from 5 to 20MPa. In order to qualify the material to be used at the operation condition for a designed service life of 60 years, a comprehensive scientific understanding of creep behavior at high temperature and low stress regime is necessary. In addition, the creep mechanism and the impact factors such as precipitates, grain size, and grain boundary characters need to be evaluated for the purpose of alloy design and development.;In this study, thermomechanically processed specimens of alloy 617 with different grain sizes were fabricated, and creep tests with a systematic test matrix covering the temperatures of 850 to 1050°C and stress levels from 5 to 100MPa were conducted. Creep data was analyzed, and the creep curves were found to be unconventional without a well-defined steady-state creep. Very good linear relationships were determined for minimum creep rate versus stress levels with the stress exponents determined around 3-5 depending on the grain size and test condition. Activation energies were also calculated for different stress levels, and the values are close to 400kJ/mol, which is higher than that for self-diffusion in nickel. Power law dislocation climb-glide mechanism was proposed as the dominant creep mechanism in the test condition regime. Dynamic recrystallization happening at high strain range enhanced dislocation climb and are believed to be responsible for the monotonically increasing creep rates. Apart from dislocation creep, diffusional creep in existence at low stress level in fine-grained (ASTM 8) material also contributed partly to the creep rates. A reasonable prediction on the long term performance of alloy 617 was also made by extrapolation method using optimized parameters based on creep test data.;Furthermore, microstructure characterization was performed utilizing Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and related analytical techniques on samples from both before and after creep, with special attention given to grain size effects, grain boundary type, and dislocation substructures. Evidences for dislocation climb and dislocation glide were found through detailed dislocation analysis by TEM, proving the dislocation climb-glide mechanism. The formation of subgrain boundary, the changes in boundary characters and grain sizes was confirmed by EBSD analysis for dynamic recrystallization. The effects of initial grain size and grain boundary character distribution on the creep behavior and mechanism were also evaluated.;Through the results obtained from this experimental study, new insights were provided into how changes in microstructure take place during high temperature creep of alloy 617, creep mechanism at different conditions was identified, and the creep deformation model was discussed. The results will also serve to technological and code case development and design of materials for NGNP.