Manufacturing of materials and workpieces for components in nuclear plant applications

US6132525A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Dietrich Alter · Erlangen, DE
• Peter Dewes · Erlangen, DE
• Friedrich Garzarolli · Edenkoben, DE
• Roland Hahn · Germering, DE
• J. Lawrence Nelson · Cupertino, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 7, 1997
• Grant date: Oct 17, 2000
• Expiry date: Mar 7, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E30/30
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Austenitic steel intended for use in radiation areas of nuclear reactors is largely resistant to irradiation-induced stress corrosion cracking if its silicon, phosphorus and sulfur contents are reduced in relation to standard commercial steel quantities and its grain structure has finely dispersed carbide precipitation, particularly of niobium carbide. The finely dispersed distribution can be induced in that larger niobium precipitation takes place at annealing temperatures between 1100 and 1150.degree. C., and carbide is precipitated through the corresponding annealing at temperatures of approximately 750.degree. C.