Assessment of Lean Grade Duplex Stainless Steels for Nuclear Power Applications

Abstract

This research assesses the thermal stability of lean grades of duplex stainless steel relative to standard grade alloys. Both hot rolled plate and gas-tungsten-arc weld deposits of selected alloys were isothermally aged in the temperature regime of α-α’ phase separation (T = 800°F / 427°C) for times up to 1,000 hours. The degree of embrittlement was assessed via changes in hardness and Charpy impact energy. Additionally, the materials were characterized by light optical microscopy, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), analytical electron microscopy (AEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) to better understand the factors that affect embrittlement. Impact testing shows that at equivalent thermal exposure, small changes in alloy composition have a significant effect on the degree of embrittlement. Microscopy reveals that spinodal decomposition of the ferrite occurs in all the alloys tested at 800°F (427°C). Additionally, transmission electron microscopy shows complex intermetallic formation, likely G phase, in the standard grade weld metal. Relative to their standard grade counterparts, both the lean grade plate and the lean grade weld deposit display ~10X slower embrittlement kinetics for the conditions studied. Despite the relatively complex metallurgy of these alloys, this research indicates that lean grade duplex stainless steels could have broad applicability to lower temperature components in nuclear power systems.