Mechanical And Microstructural Performance Evaluation Of Diffusion Bonded Alloy 800H For Very High Temperature Nuclear Service

Very high temperature reactors (VHTRs) are planned to be operated between 550 to 950°C, and demand a thermally efficient intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) in the heat transport system (HTS). The current technological development of compact heat exchangers (CHXs) for VHTRs is at the ‘proof of concept’ level. A significant development in the CHX technologies is essential for the VHTRs to be efficient, cost-effective, and safe. CHXs have very high thermal efficiency and compactness, making them a prime candidate for IHXs in VHTRs. Photochemically etched plates with the desired channel pattern are stacked and diffusion bonded to fabricate CHXs. All plates are compressed at an elevated temperature over a specified period in the diffusion bonding process, promoting atomic diffusion and grain growth across bond surfaces resulting in a monolithic block. The diffusion bonding process changes the base metal properties, which are unknown for Alloy 800H, a candidate alloy for CHX construction. Hence, developing mechanical response data and understanding failure mechanisms of diffusion bonded Alloy 800H at elevated temperatures is a key step for advancing the technology of IHXs in VHTRs. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop ASME BPVC Section III, Division 5 design rules for CHXs in nuclear service. Towards this goal, mechanical performance and microstructures of diffusion bonded Alloy 800H is investigated through a series of tensile, fatigue, creep, and creep-fatigue tests at temperatures 550 to 760°C. The test results, failure mechanisms, and microstructures of diffusion bonded Alloy 800H is scrutinized and presented.

Influence of Post Weld Heat Treatment on the Grain Size, and Mechanical Properties of the Alloy-800H Rotary Friction Weld Joints

This study evaluated the microstructure, grain size, and mechanical properties of the alloy 800H rotary friction welds in as-welded and post-weld heat-treated conditions. The standards for the alloy 800H not only specify the composition and mechanical properties but also the minimum grain sizes. This is because these alloys are mostly used in creep resisting applications. The dynamic recrystallization of the highly strained and plasticized material during friction welding resulted in the fine grain structure (20 ± 2 µm) in the weld zone. However, a small increase in grain size was observed in the heat-affected zone of the weldment with a slight decrease in hardness compared to the base metal. Post-weld solution heat treatment (PWHT) of the friction weld joints increased the grain size (42 ± 4 µm) in the weld zone. Both as-welded and post-weld solution heat-treated friction weld joints failed in the heat-affected zone during the room temperature tensile testing and showed a lower yield strength and ultimate tensile strength than the base metal. A fracture analysis of the failed tensile samples revealed ductile fracture features. However, in high-temperature tensile testing, post-weld solution heat-treated joints exhibited superior elongation and strength compared to the as-welded joints due to the increase in the grain size of the weld metal. It was demonstrated in this study that the minimum grain size requirement of the alloy 800H friction weld joints could be successfully met by PWHT with improved strength and elongation, especially at high temperatures.