ATI signs agreement to supply materials for manufacture of nuclear reactor components
October 23, 2019 Source: ASM International
Allegheny Technologies Inc., Pittsburgh, announces that it has signed a new long-term agreement with BWX Technologies Inc., Lynchburg, Va., to supply materials used in the manufacture of naval nuclear reactor components.
Continue readingRetech supplies vacuum induction melting systems to Siemens for casting turbine blades
May 29, 2019 Source:
Retech Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Seco Warwick Group, Meadville, Pa., announces that two of its furnace systems have been installed at a new Siemens Power and Gas plant. These include a vacuum induction melting directional solidification/single crystal/equiax pitless (VIM DS/SC/EQ) combo casting furnace; and a vacuum induction melting directional solidification /single crystal (DS/SC) solidification casting furnace system.
Pitless DS/SC furnaces are said to greatly reduce or eliminate costs, time, disruptions to facility production, and confined space entry to pits required with the installation of the new Pitless VIM furnaces at the facility.
“The melting systems that Retech is delivering to Siemens incorporate industry-leading special design features,†says Earl Good, VP – Global Vacuum Melting Managing Director, Retech Systems LLC. “These include vacuum induction melting; a reliable and maintenance friendly design ideal for faster and more flexible operation; superb process control for repeatability and high yields; and Retech’s new pitless mold elevator that can be utilized on directional solidification/single crystal furnaces.â€
Retech Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Seco Warwick Group, Meadville, Pa., announces that two of its furnace systems have been installed at a new Siemens Power and Gas plant.
Continue readingRussian scientists research steel-vanadium-steel laminate for next-gen nuclear reactors
March 24, 2019 Source:
Materials scientists from the Russian National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS) announce that they have developed a unique steel-vanadium-steel sandwich material that is able to withstand temperatures of up to 700°C, hard radiation exposure, mechanical stress, and chemical exposure for a long period of time. The material was designed to be used in the shells of nuclear reactor cores.
“The ferritic steel provides corrosion resistance, and the vanadium alloy (V-4Ti-4Cr) provides heat resistance and radiation resistance sufficient to withstand the effects of the ultra-rigid environments of a nuclear reactor," says Aleksandra Baranova, research co-author, post-graduate student of NUST MISIS Department of Metallurgical Science and Physics of Strength.
The maximum operating temperatures of the fuel element shells in the new generation reactors reach 550 to 700°C. Sodium, the liquid metal coolant, acts outside. The loads created are much higher than those that the core shells of existing reactors can withstand.
To close the nuclear fuel cycle in a new generation fast neutron reactor, new structural materials that can provide a higher fuel burn-out are needed. These materials should withstand damaging radiation doses of up to 180-200 dpa (displacements per atom), instead of the maximum 100-130 dpa, that are typical for existing materials.
The researchers say that fabrication problems were solved by the use of complex deformation processes and heat treatment of three-layer billets. The process includes hot co-extrusion (pressing), radial forging, and joint rolling. As a result, a "transition zone" is formed at the boundary of the components, and the alloys diffuse into one another, which provides a high-strength bond.
The research team has reportedly managed to create a prototype of the core shell, which is a monolithic three-layer tube. Laboratory tests are said to show high mechanical strength of the composite at operating temperatures of up to 700°C. In the near future, the team plans to begin long-term studies for radiation resistance.
http://en.misis.ru/
Materials scientists from the Russian National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS) announce that they have developed a unique steel-vanadium-steel sandwich material that is able to withstand temperatures of up to 700°C, hard radiation exposure, mechanical stress, and chemical exposure for a long period of time.
Continue readingDOE awards $36 million to develop materials for high-temperature heat exchangers
Source:
The U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, announces $36 million in awards for 18 projects as part of the High Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP). These project teams seek to develop new approaches and technologies for the design and manufacture of high temperature, high pressure, and highly compact heat exchangers and components.
Durable and affordable higher-temperature heat exchangers could make energy conversion much more efficient, which in turn could reduce fuel consumption, system footprint, capital and operational cost, and emissions. HITEMMP projects will target heat exchangers capable of operating for tens of thousands of hours in temperatures and pressures exceeding 1470°F 800°C and 80 bar (1,160 psi) respectively.
Some examples:
General Electric Company, GE Global Research – Niskayuna, New York
Ultra Performance Heat Exchanger Enabled by Additive Technology (UPHEAT) – $2,500,000.
The GE team will develop a metallic-based, ultra-performance heat exchanger enabled by additive manufacturing technology and capable of operation at 900°C (1652°F) and 250 bar (3626 psi).
The Boeing Company – Huntington Beach, California
Highly Compact Metallic Heat Exchangers for Extreme Environments – $2,397,756.52.
Boeing will develop a compact, extreme environment heat exchanger (EEHX) for application in supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles for hypersonic aircraft and distributed power generation.
United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) – East Hartford, Connecticut
Additive, Topology-Optimized Ultra-Compact Heat Exchanger – $2,100,000
UTRC will develop an ultra-compact, topology-optimized 800°C (1472°F), 250 bar (3626 psi) heat exchanger substantially smaller and substantially more durable than current commercial cross-flow heat exchangers.
CompRex, LLC – De Pere, Wisconsin
Compact Heat Exchanger for High Temperature High Pressure Applications Using Advanced Cermet - – $1,455,000.00
CompRex, LLC aims to realize a transformational and disruptive advancement in heat exchange technology for high temperature (>800°C or 1472°F) and high pressure (80 bar or 1160 psi) applications through use of advanced metal and ceramic composite material, development of a new simplified manufacturing approach, and optimization of heat exchanger design.
For a complete list of projects, visit
https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=document/hitemmp-project-descriptions
The U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, announces $36 million in awards for 18 projects as part of the High Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP).
Continue readingTungsten-based alloy withstands radiation in nuclear fusion devices without damage
March 11, 2019 Source:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, announces that its scientists have developed a tungsten-based alloy that can withstand unprecedented amounts of radiation without damage. The material, created as a thin film, is a quaternary nanocrystalline tungsten-tantalum-vanadium-chromium alloy that has been characterized under extreme thermal conditions and after irradiation.
Essential for extreme irradiation environments such as the interiors of magnetic fusion reactors, previously explored materials have thus far been hobbled by weakness against fracture, but this new alloy seems to defeat that problem.
“This material showed outstanding radiation resistance when compared to pure nanocrystalline tungsten materials and other conventional alloys,†said Osman El Atwani, the lead author of the paper and the principal investigator of the “Radiation Effects and Plasma Material Interactions in Tungsten Based Materials†project at Los Alamos. “Our investigations of the material mechanical properties under different stress states and response of the material under plasma exposure are ongoing.â€
“We have never seen before a material that can withstand the level of radiation damage that we have observed for this high-entropy [four or more principal elements] alloy,†says principal investigator Enrique Martinez Saez, a coauthor of the paper at Los Alamos. “It seems to retain outstanding mechanical properties after irradiation, as opposed to traditional counterparts, in which the mechanical properties degrade easily under irradiation.â€
Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, announces that its scientists have developed a tungsten-based alloy that can withstand unprecedented amounts of radiation without damage.
Continue readingLindberg MPH ships single-zone tube furnace to company in the nuclear power industry
February 22, 2019 Source:
Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped a single-zone tube furnace to an engineering company in the nuclear power industry for annealing, ashing, carbon firing, ceramic firing, drying, hardening, sintering, solution treating, stress relieving, and normalizing.
Lindberg’s tube furnaces are available in a variety of sizes and options. This specific Single-Zone Tube Furnace has work chamber dimensions of 9 x 24 inches, with a maximum temperature rating of 1200°C .
The furnace is designed for energy efficiency. Its easy operation makes observation effortless and allows for convenient tube placement. This piece of equipment is also backed by Lindberg/MPH’s Exclusive One-Year Warranty, which covers all materials for all components (less wear items).
"This piece of equipment, along with our three-zone tube furnace, is designed for use where exceptional radial and linear temperature uniformity, process repeatability, rapid heat up, and response are critical, says Kelley Shreve, Applications Engineer.
Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped a single-zone tube furnace to an engineering company in the nuclear power industry for annealing, ashing, carbon firing, ceramic firing, drying, hardening, sintering, solution treating, stress relieving, and normalizing.
Continue readingIdaho National Lab develops heat treatment to extend life of superalloys in nuclear reactors
November 24, 2018 Source:
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, announce that they have developed a heat treatment process that enables superalloys to withstand high heat more than six times longer than an untreated counterpart, extending useful life by thousands of hours in applications such as nuclear reactors.
"We came up with a way to make a superalloy that is much more resistant to heat-related failures. This could be useful in electricity generators and elsewhere," says Subhashish Meher, an INL materials scientist. He was lead author of a new Science Advances paper describing the research.
INL scientists have been studying nickel-base superalloys, which are useful for electricity-generating turbines and high-temperature nuclear reactor components. Previous research had shown that performance can be improved if the material structure of the superalloy repeats in some way from very small sizes to very large, like a box within a box within a box.
This is called a hierarchical microstructure. In a superalloy, it consists of a metallic matrix with precipitates, regions where the composition of the mixture differs from the rest of the metal. Embedded within the precipitates are still finer-scale particles that are the same composition as the matrix outside the precipitates — conceptually like nested boxes.
Dr. Meher and his coauthors found that with the right recipe of heating and cooling, they could make the precipitates two or more times larger than would be the case otherwise, thereby creating the heat-resistant microstructure.
These larger precipitates last longer when subjected to extreme heat. Moreover, computer simulation studies suggest that the superalloy can resist heat-induced failure for 20,000 hours, compared to about 3,000 hours normally.
One application could be electrical generators that last much longer because the superalloy structures would be tougher. What's more, INL scientists may now be able to come up with a procedure that can be applied to other superalloys. So, it may be possible to adjust a superalloy's strength, heat tolerance, or other properties to enhance its use in a particular application.
https://www.inl.gov/article/treated-superalloys-demonstrate-unprecedented-heat-resistance/
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, announce that they have developed a heat treatment method that enables superalloys to withstand high heat more than six times longer than an untreated counterpart, extending useful life by thousands of hours in applications such as nuclear reactors.
Continue readingNuclear fuel rod cladding alloy designed to prevent hydrogen generation when heated
April 19, 2018 Source: ASM International
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., announces that a team led by its researchers has developed an alloy of iron, chromium, and aluminum that does not contain zirconium.
Continue readingMulti-element nickel alloys resist radiation damage 100 times better than pure nickel
December 23, 2016 Source:
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, reports its researchers have discovered that nickel-cobalt-iron and nickel-cobalt-iron-chromium-manganese alloys in equal concentrations can be 100 times more resistant to radiation-induced swelling than pure nickel, meaning that radiation-induced cavities in these alloys are 100 times smaller than in pure nickel.
Colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee created samples of a variety of nickel-based alloys. These were then exposed to radiation in a facility at the University of Tennessee. The most successful alloys were concentrated solid solutions—crystals made of equal parts nickel, cobalt and iron; or nickel, cobalt, iron, chromium and manganese.
"These materials have many good properties such as strength and ductility, and now we can add radiation tolerance," said Chenyang Lu, a U-M postdoctoral research fellow in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences and the leading author of the report in Nature Communications.
In an experiment proposed by Dr. Wang, UT researchers exposed the samples to beams of radiation that created two levels of damage, similar to what may accumulate in a reactor core over several years and over several decades. These experiments were done at a temperature of 932°F, a temperature at which nickel-based alloys are usually susceptible to swelling.
These samples were analyzed at U-M's Center for Material Characterization with a transmission electron microscope. The team found that compared to pure nickel, the best alloys had more than 100 times less radiation damage.
The study, titled "Enhancing radiation tolerance by controlling defect mobility and migration pathways in multicomponent single phase alloys," appears in Nature Communications.
The work was supported as part of the Energy Dissipation to Defect Evolution Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences.
http://phys.org/news/2016-12-safer-long-life-nuclear-reactorsmetal-resistance.html
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, reports its researchers have discovered that nickel-cobalt-iron and nickel-cobalt-iron-chromium-manganese alloys in equal concentrations can be 100 times more resistant to radiation-induced swelling than pure nickel, meaning that radiation-induced cavities in these alloys are 100 times smaller than in pure nickel.
Continue readingElectric oxidizing oven heat treats Inconel trays for nuclear power fuel cell rods
November 2, 2016 Source:
Baker Furnace Inc., Yorba Linda, Calif., has shipped an electric oxidizing oven to a manufacturer of components for nuclear power plants to heat treat Inconel support trays that hold nuclear fuel cell rods in place. The heat treating process extends the life of the trays and reduces production costs for the manufacturer.
The heat treating oven has a maximum temperature rating of 1350°F and work zone dimensions of 5 x 5 x 5 feet. The unique Baker Furnace door design offers a lifetime no-sag guarantee along with a pneumatic door locking mechanism. A recirculation fan provides approximately 25 air changes per minute through adjustable air distribution via sidewall ducts, with the return air at the rear of the work chamber for temperature uniformity of ±25°F at 1300°F. The oxidizing oven utilizes a programmable temperature controller with ramp and soak capabilities.
Unique features of this oxidizing oven include a 316L stainless steel interior; pneumonic door locking mechanism; 90kW rod style heating elements; 3000 CFM recirculation fans.
Baker Furnace Inc., Yorba Linda, Calif., has shipped an electric oxidizing oven to a manufacturer of components for nuclear power plants to heat treat Inconel support trays that hold nuclear fuel cell rods in place.
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