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At least 109 records · Page 6

Effect of temperature on abrasion erosion in particle based concentrating solar powerplants

The use of solid particles as a heat transfer medium is being explored for concentrated solar power plants (CSP) to increase their efficiency by achieving operating temperature >700 °C. During operation, these hot particles are expected to move along the various components within the collector system, resulting in material degradation from a combination of high-temperature oxidation and erosion. In the present study, the performance of candidate materials was evaluated through a series of abrasion erosion experiments at room temperature as well as at 800 °C. Wear in metallic and refractory type materials was investigated using CarboBead® HSP 40/70 particles inside a resistance heated kiln. Furthermore, cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis on the specimens tested at 800 °C determined that the specific wear rate in Inconel 740H and stainless steel 316 metallic specimens was influenced by the thermally grown oxide morphology. High chromium Inconel 740H specimens exhibited greater resistance to wear with a steady state specific wear rate of 1.92E-4 mm 3 N -1 m –1 compared to 5.7E-3 mm 3 N -1 m –1 for Stainless Steel 316.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Ab Initio Simulations of Tritium Diffusion in Al-Rich Iron Aluminide Coating Phases

Surface coatings of steels used in extreme conditions and corrosive environments generally aim to provide protection and increased durability. In the case of tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) used in nuclear reactors, a 316 stainless steel has been coated with Al. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) characterization of the coating found three Al-rich (>60 atom % Al) iron aluminide alloys identified as hexagonal FeNiAl 5 , monoclinic Fe 4 Al 13 , and orthorhombic Fe 2 Al 5 . Density functional theory simulations using nudged elastic band have been performed to investigate the diffusion of interstitial tritium in each Al-rich iron aluminide phase. While FeNiAl 5 and Fe 4 Al 13 can be viewed as the stacking of two layers, the structural peculiarity of Fe 2 Al 5 is that channels of variable Al vacancy content are present along the c-axis. Therefore, three stoichiometries for Fe 2 Al x phase, namely, Fe 2 Al 4 , Fe 2 Al 5 , and Fe 2 Al 6 , have been considered to evaluate the impact of Al vacancy concentration on tritium diffusion behavior. Altogether, we found that at 600 K, tritium diffusion decreases from a faster rate in the channels of Fe 2 Al x phases (D T ≤ 10 –11 m 2 ·s –1 ) to Fe 4 Al 13 (D T ≈ 10–12 m2·s–1), and finally in FeNiAl5 (D T ≈ 10 –13 m 2 ·s –1 ). Here, we also find that interstitial tritium generally diffuses faster in Fe–Al coating phases than in the tritium breeding material γ-LiAlO 2 (D T ≈ 10 –14 m 2 ·s –1 ) but slightly slower than in 316 stainless steel (D T ≈ 10 –10 m 2 ·s –1 ).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Preliminary results addressing material qualification using combined ion irradiation and modeling data

Additively-manufactured (AM) materials have attracted increasing attention in recent years as a new method to make novel and customized components. While AM and conventionally produced materials are compositionally similar, they do possess different microstructures, necessitating assessment of materials produced via AM for their behavior in reactor environments. Some microstructures unique to AM materials, such as compositional micro-inhomogeneity and dislocation cell structures, are of particular importance since they may lead to different radiation performance. The performance of AM materials for advanced nuclear reactor applications is of interest to the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program under the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy. The AMMT program aims to demonstrate its new accelerated development and qualification methods via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316 stainless steel (SS). Focusing on material bearing both 316L and 316H specifications, we integrate ion irradiation and modeling. This year, we focus on answering foundational questions related to process variability, alloy chemistry variation, and microchemical segregation. Experimental results provide information and motivate questions to the modeling effort, which aims to develop the ability to model radiation-driven microstructural evolution in additively-manufactured 316 stainless steel under a variety of advanced reactor conditions, including different temperatures, neutron spectra, and fluxes, in a sort of "virtual experiment". We perform in-situ and ex-situ ion irradiations and microstructural characterizations to support the development of AM materials for reactor applications, develop a phase field model of radiation-induced segregation in additively manufactured material with high angle grain boundaries and dislocation cells, and investigate the effect of carbon and chromium content on point defect behavior.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Elastic-plastic finite-element analyses of thermally cycled single-edge wedge specimens

Elastic-plastic stress-strain analyses were performed for single-edge wedge alloys subjected to thermal cycling in fluidized beds. Three cases (NASA TAZ-8A alloy under one cycling condition and 316 stainless steel alloy under two cycling conditions) were analyzed by using the MARC nonlinear, finite-element computer program. Elastic solutions from MARC showed good agreement with previously reported solutions that used the NASTRAN and ISO3DQ computer programs. The NASA TAZ-8A case exhibited no plastic strains, and the elastic and elastic-plastic analyses gave identical results. Elastic-plastic analyses of the 316 stainless steel alloy showed plastic strain reversal with a shift of the mean stresses in the compressive direction. The maximum equivalent total strain ranges for these cases were 13 to 22 percent greater than that calculated from elastic analyses.

Kaufman, A.↗

Imaging of Calibrated Defects in Additively Manufactured Materials: Pulsed Thermal Tomography Nondestructive Examination of Additively Manufactured Reactor Materials and Components

Additive manufacturing (AM, or 3D printing) for commercial nuclear energy applications is an emerging method for cost-efficient manufacturing aimed at replacing aging nuclear reactor parts and reducing costs for new construction. Known material flaws in AM include low-density regions consisting of non-sintered powder, which have to be detected to ensure the safety of long-term performance nuclear reactor components. Currently, limited options are available for nondestructive evaluation (NDE), either during or post manufacturing. As a solution to NDE of AM, we are developing pulsed thermal imaging which is non-contact, one-sided, and scalable to arbitrary size and shape of the AM parts. Pulsed thermography (PT) system utilizes a high intensity flash lamp to rapidly heat surface of sample, and a high sensitivity fast-frame megapixel infrared (IR) camera to capture data of surface temperature variations. The acquired data cube consists of a stack of surface temperature images taken at different times. Information about material internal defects is extracted by analyzing the data cube. This report provides results of preliminary performance evaluation of pulsed thermal imaging capability in detection of imprinted flaws in AM metallic structures. The flaws were introduced into AM parts as imprinted hemispherical low density regions, consisting of trapped un-sintered metallic powder. Specimens for developed for this study consisted of AM stainless steel 316 and Inconel 718 plates. The diameters of imprinted defects varied from 1mm to 8mm, and their depths below the plate flat surface varied between 1mm and 6mm. Pulsed thermal tomography (PTT) processes the measured data cube to obtain 3D reconstructions of material effusivity using a unique inversion algorithm developed at Argonne. PTT has been previously used in imaging of similar size flat bottom hole (FBH) simulated defects in stainless steel 316 and Inconel 718 specimens. In the study involving AM specimens, PTT imaging results have shown that 1mm-diameter defects located 1mm and 2mm below the surface of specimens were detectable. Larger size defects were detectable at greater depth. We also explored an alternative approach to detection of material flaws in PT data cube, which is using neural learning-based approach to blind source separation. Detection of small material defects requires finding features in the data cube which have signal contrast levels approaching sensitivity limit of IR camera. In this study, an optimized Neural Learning based Blind Source Separation (NLBSS) algorithm, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is demonstrated to automatically extract principal temporal and spatial features of thermography frames to enhance flaw detection. By using the NLBSS algorithm, material internal defects can be automatically detected. Furthermore, this processing approach compensates for experimental thermal imaging artifacts, such as noise and uneven heating. By merging artificial intelligence with phtotothermics, the NDE system detects internal calibrated defects of various sizes and depths in AM nuclear-grade metallic alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Chemical and Microstructural Changes in Metallic and Ceramic Materials Exposed to Venusian Surface Conditions

The chemical and microstructural behavior of steels (304, 310, 316, and 1018), nickel-based alloys (beta-NiAl, G30, and 625), gold, coatings (4YSZ, SilcoNert(TradeMark) 1040 (SilcoTek Co.), Dursan(TradeMark) (SilcoTek Co.), and porcelain), and bulk ceramics (alpha-Al2O3, fused quartz, beta-SiC, and alpha-Si3N4) were probed after exposure to supercritical fluid with temperature, pressure, and composition mimicking the Venus lower atmosphere. Exposures were carried out in the Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) chamber with the Venusian gas mixture (96.5% CO2, 3.5% N2, 30 ppm H2O, 150 ppm SO2, 28 ppm CO, 15 ppm OCS, 3 ppm H2S, 0.5 ppm HCl, and 5 ppb HF) at 92 bar (1330 psi) and 467 C (873 F) for durations of 10 and 42 days. An additional 21-day exposure was done to stainless steel uncoated and coated with SilcoNert(TradeMark) and Dursan(TradeMark). Samples were characterized before and after the experiment by gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopies, and cross section electron microscopy analysis. All steels exposed for 10 and 42 days formed double-layered scales consisting mainly of metal (Cr, Fe, Ni) oxides and sulfides showing different chemistry, microstructure, and crystalline phases. The alloys G30 and 625 formed double-layered scales consisting mainly of nickel sulfides. After 10 days, the beta-NiAl exhibited no detectable scale, suggesting only a very thin film was formed. The 304 and 316 stainless steels coated with 4YSZ that were exposed for 10 and 42 days exhibited no significant oxidation. Steel 1018 coated with 4YSZ exhibited a corrosion scale of iron and/or chromium oxide formed at the base of the alloy. The 304 steel coated with porcelain did not exhibit corrosion, although the coating exhibited recession. SilcoNert(TradeMark) exposed for 10 and 42 days exhibited recession, although no oxidation was found to occur at the base of the alloy. Stainless steel 316 coated with Dursan(TradeMark)  exhibited corrosion at the base of the alloy. All ceramics tested showed no clear evidence of reaction. The weight-gain-per-area performance of the materials exposed in the GEER for 10 and 42 days are reported from the lowest to the highest weight gain per area as follows: gold did not exhibit any weight change; nickel-based alloys: beta- NiAl < G30 < 625; steels: 304 < 310 < 316 < 1018; ceramics: considering the experimental uncertainties, no weight change was observed for all ceramics of this work (alpha-Al2O3, Si3N4, SiC, and amorphous SiO2).

Costa, Gustavo C. C.↗

Optical properties of ion beam textured metals

Copper, silicon, aluminum, titanium and 316 stainless steel were textured by 1000 eV xenon ions from an 8 cm diameter electron bombardment ion source. Simultaneously sputter-deposited tantalum was used to facilitate the development of the surface microstructure. Scanning electron microscopy of the ion textured surfaces revealed two types of microstructure. Copper, silicon, and aluminum developed a cone structure with an average peak-to-peak distance ranging from 1 micron for silicon to 6 microns for aluminum. Titanium and 316 stainless steel developed a serpentine ridge structure. The average peak-to-peak distance for both of these materials was 0.5 micron. Spectral reflectance was measured using an integrating sphere and a holraum reflectometer. Total reflectance for air mass 0 and 2, solar absorptance and total emittance normalized for a 425 K black body were calculated from the reflectance measurements.

Hudson, W. R.↗

Effect of Soluble Corrosion Products on Electrical Double Layer in LiCl-KCl Molten Salts

Corrosion in molten salts greatly hampers the application for renewable energy applications like molten salt reactors. To develop effective strategies for corrosion mitigation, understanding the interfacial structures and properties such as specific ion adsorption and electrical double layer capacitance are crucial. Using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we systematically studied the interfaces on various model electrodes including W (solid), Bi (liquid), and the stainless steel 316 in LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salts with the addition of corrosion species CrCl 2 and FeCl 2 . Both Cr 2+ and Fe 2+ ions increased electrical double layer capacitance, with Cr 2+ showing specific adsorption behavior and shifting the potential of zero charge, while Fe 2+ had minimal effect on point of zero charge. Two-working electrode measurements revealed increasing open-circuit potential and electrical double layer capacitance during the exposure of stainless steel 316, indicating its progressive corrosion and ion accumulation at the interface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman confirmed Cr enrichment at the interface. This work highlights the strong correlation between electrical double layer behavior and corrosion dynamics in molten salts and suggests electrical double layer capacitance as a sensitive, in situ indicator for corrosion monitoring.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF IMPACT AND ABRASION EROSIONS AT LOW VELOCITIES AND COMPARISON TO CFD SIMULATIONS

Wear and erosion damage of materials due to interaction of the surface with solid particles is a major issue in various industries. This phenomenon is common in mining, and oil and gas production, causing damages worth millions of dollars annually. Erosion is becoming a critical issue in renewable technologies as well such as concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) systems. In some CSP systems, solid particles can be used to absorb solar energy and enhance the heat storage. However, these particles may cause significant amount of wear to system components while falling down the power tower at high temperatures. This damage can be costly, and therefore, investigating solid particle erosion in CSP systems is of utmost importance. In collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, the erosion durability of particle-based Generation 3 (GEN3) CSP system are being investigated both experimentally and numerically. In order to develop models to predict the life time of such systems, erosion under low temperature and low particle impact velocity conditions are investigated. Impact erosion and abrasion erosion experiments are conducted for low velocity and low temperature conditions for various candidate particles and containment materials. The impact erosion testing is conducted for three different containment material including Stainless Steel 316, special refractory material, and Inconel 740H with CARBOBEAD HSP 40/70 ceramic particles and UNIWEST 430 silica quartz erodent particles. All this data will enable us to better model the erosion behavior of these materials and provides a data base to investigate erosion at high temperatures experienced in CSP systems. At low temperatures and low velocities the softer refractory material exhibited greater erosion by an order-of-magnitude when compared to the harder Inconel 740H and Stainless Steel 316 materials. The overall erosion ratio for all the candidate materials was of the order of 10 -7 kg/kg. We also investigated wear in containment materials from sliding of particles over the surfaces at very low angles, also referred to as abrasion. For the velocities expected in a typical 1MW CSP plant, visible surface wear was noted, but the overall mass loss per unit surface area was found to be dependent on the hardness of the containment material tested. In this manuscript, we also present Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and erosion prediction of low velocity impact erosion. These results are compared with the experimental data to evaluate the ability of available erosion models for predicting erosion under these conditions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Mechanical properties of ion-beam-textured surgical implant alloys

An electron-bombardment Hg ion thruster was used as an ion source to texture surfaces of materials used to make orthopedic and/or dental prostheses or implants. The materials textured include 316 stainless steel, titanium-6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, and cobalt-20% chromium, 15% tungsten. To determine the effect of ion texturing on the ultimate strength and yield strength, stainless steel and Co-Cr-W alloy samples were tensile tested to failure. Three types of samples of both materials were tested. One type was ion-textured (the process also heats each sample to 300 C), another type was simply heated to 300 C in an oven, and the third type was untreated. Stress-strain diagrams, 0.2% offset yield strength data, total elongation data, and area reduction data are presented. Fatigue specimens of ion textured and untextured 316 stainless steel and Ti-6% Al-4% V were tested. Included as an ion textured sample is a Ti-6% Al-4% V sample which was ion machined by means of Ni screen mask so as to produce an array of 140 mu m x 140 mu m x 60 mu m deep pits. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the ion textured surfaces.

Weigand, A. J.↗

A Methodology for determining optimal milling parameters for low-taper microtensile sample production

Femtosecond lasers are beginning to see an increase in interest for industrial and high throughput microsample milling applications. Despite this, much of the literature regarding removal rate studies for ultrashort pulse laser milling continues to focus on single-pulse or similar experiments that have a very small time on target. The material volume removal rates of femtosecond milling can vary wildly depending on parameters like laser scan speed, hatch spacing, z-axis step size, and pulses on the material. Currently, there is no established methodology for determining the optimal values of these parameters for micromilling applications. This methodology was developed in this study. The methodology consists of a pulse study, a repeat study, and a z-step study that will return the milling parameters that resulted in the largest volume removal rate for the laser used for this research. The methodology was created for the laser system used in this study, and was tested on 316 Stainless Steel, but was developed in such a way that it may be adapted to any material, and with some tweaking of variables might be used in other laser systems. The laser system used in this study utilizes a novel positioning stage that introduces 6 degrees of freedom to the translation of laser samples, being able to tilt and move in all three axes. Using both the developed methodology and the unique capabilities of the laser microtensile samples were produced with taper angles of <1° in 316 Stainless Steel.

Barker, Zachary Wayne↗

Burn propagation rates of metals and alloys in gaseous oxygen

The average burn rates of several metals and alloys were determined at oxygen pressures between 3.45 and 68.91 MPa (500 and 10,000 psig) and ambient temperature. Several materials were tested at elevated sample temperatures. The test materials were fabricated into solid cylindrical rods and mounted vertically in the test chamber. A magnesium igniter was positioned at the bottom end of each test specimen to promote upward burn propagations. Nickel 200 and copper 102 could not be ignited at all oxygen pressures tested whereas Monel 400 appeared to ignite but quickly self-extinguished. The other materials tested burned the entire length of the test sample. Aluminum 6061 exhibited the fastest burn propagation rate. Inconel 718 burned slower than aluminum but faster than the stainless steels (types 304 and 316). Increasing oxygen pressure generally increased the burn propagation rate of the materials. Increasing the ambient temperature of the test specimens for several materials to approximately 850 K (1070 F) had little effect upon the ignition or burn properties of nickel 200 or Monel 400. Type 316 stainless steel exhibited an increase in its burn propagation rate at this higher temperature.

Benz, F. J.↗

Exploration of Sn 70 Li 30 alloy as possible material for flowing liquid metal plasma facing components

As an advanced alternative to solid materials, Liquid Metals (LM) may offer more resilient and feasible Plasma Facing Components (PFCs). Particularly, regarding the unavoidable material erosion/degradation produced by particle/heat fluxes in future fusion devices where much longer duty cycles are expected. Furthermore, configurations that propose a flowing LM surface can add the advantage of a continuously fresh and clean layer facing the plasma. Although lithium is the most widely tested option, tin-lithium (SnLi) alloys have been proposed to attempt to combine the positive characteristics of both pure elements and ameliorate the specific issues of lithium. In this work, the potential use of Sn70Li30 alloy in such flowing concepts has been explored by addressing several preliminary and mandatory aspects for its utilization. Key issues such as wettability and compatibility of the alloy with relevant substrates have been studied in a multidisciplinary approach. The data obtained from deposited liquid tin-lithium droplets indicates approximate wetting temperatures of 360 °C, 390 °C and 405 °C for the fresh alloy on 316 stainless steel, molybdenum, and tungsten, respectively. However, the alloy contamination appeared to strongly affect the wetting characteristics of materials, increasing their wetting temperature by ~130 °C in the worst observed cases. Interestingly, in some instances, the instability of the liquid alloy surface was observed in the form of sudden gaseous ejection. The deposited droplets were posteriorly characterized in terms of absolute composition and depth profile by Inductively Coupled PlasmaOptical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS-ToF). Additionally, the nature and composition of the boundaries between the substrates and alloy microparticles was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and 3D Laser microscopy. The overall results of this post-mortem characterization revealed that first signs of corrosion induced by both alloy elements (lithium-chromium association and iron-tin intermetallic mixing) were present on 316 stainless steel after short exposures (≤3 h) at temperatures lower than 550 °C. Conversely, molybdenum and tungsten showed good compatibility with the alloy in equivalent conditions. The global implications of these results are finally addressed, focusing on the future perspectives and the more viable scenarios for the eventual utilization of these alloys in flowing liquid metal configurations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Optimization of stochastic feature properties in laser powder bed fusion

Process parameter selection in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) controls the as-printed dimensional tolerances, pore formation, surface quality and microstructure of printed metallic structures. Measuring the stochastic mechanical performance for a wide range of process parameters is cumbersome both in time and cost. As such, in this study, we overcome these hurdles by using high-throughput tensile (HTT) testing of over 250 dogbone samples to examine process-driven performance of strut-like small features, ~1 mm 2 in austenitic stainless steel (316 L). The output mechanical properties, porosity, surface roughness and dimensional accuracy were mapped across the printable range of laser powers and scan speeds using a continuous wave laser LPBF machine. Tradeoffs between ductility and strength are shown across the process space and their implications are discussed. While volumetric energy density deposited onto a substrate to create a melt-pool can be a useful metric for determining bulk properties, it was not found to directly correlate with output small feature performance.

316 L stainless steel↗

Quantifying Microstructure Variability in Laser Powder Bed Fusion 316 L Stainless Steel Microstructures with Spatial Statistics

Here, we have explored data-driven methods for material microstructure quantification that improve sensitivity to microstructural changes compared to traditional approaches. The methods integrate multiple microstructural properties, including grain morphology, crystallographic orientation, and material phase information. The simpler method employs maps of the Euclidean distance transformation metric to evaluate the morphology of grain boundary networks. The more intensive approach employs generalized spherical harmonic mapping for crystallographic orientations, per-pixel phase information, and a variational auto-encoder for dimensionality reduction and results in a multidimensional clustering of by microstructure similarity. Applied to an experimental dataset of additively manufactured steel, both methods detected slight variations in samples produced under nominally identical processing conditions. Both methods were able to distinguish between samples from multiple (nominally identical) builds, while the generalized spherical harmonics-based method could additionally cluster data samples rotated at two orientations on the build plate. The improved sensitivity of the methods, demonstrated through comparison with traditional microstructure characterization techniques, offers advantages for microstructure quantification and comparisons in advanced manufacturing applications.

SS316L↗

Effect of heat treatment on creep behavior of 316 L stainless steel manufactured by laser powder bed fusion

The objective of this study is to understand the thermal stability of microstructure and its effect on the creep behavior of additively-manufactured 316L stainless steel (AM 316L SS). Creep specimens were fabricated from rods printed by a laser powder bed fusion process. Six different heat treatments, namely 650 °C/1 h, 700 °C/1 h, 750 °C/1 h, 800 °C/1 h, 900 °C/1 h and 1050 °C/1 h were applied to the creep specimens. The heat-treated specimens were creep-tested under the same condition, 550 °C/275 MPa to evaluate the effect of post-build heat treatment on the creep behavior of AM 316L SS. In the temperature range of 650-750 °C, dislocation density within cells, and cell size and wall thickness were affected by the heat treatment, while elemental segregation at boundaries remained unchanged and Mn-enriched Si oxide particles remained stable. In the temperature range of 750-900 °C, concurrent changes were observed in dislocation cell structures, elemental segregation and oxide particles. The 1050 °C-heat treatment removed cell structures and boundary solute segregations, leading to formation of equiaxed grains; Mn-enriched Si oxide particles in the as-built specimen were replaced by more stable Mn-enriched Cr oxides. The creep life of AM 316L SS increased after the heat treatment at 650 °C and then decreased with increasing temperature up to 900 °C where cell/subgrain structures still existed. The creep rate and creep elongation followed an opposite trend. The creep rate can be correlated with the structural parameters of cell/subgrain size and cell wall/boundary thickness and can be rationalized by different strengthening mechanisms of dislocation cells and subgrains. The heat treatment affected strongly the primary and secondary creep but had a minimal effect on the tertiary creep of AM 316L SS.

316L stainless steel↗