The Chinese power industry has experienced rapid development in the past decade. The newly built 600+°C ultra-super-critical (UCS) fossil fire power plants and pressed water reactor nuclear power plants in China are the world’s most advanced level technically and effectively. The available capacity of 600+°C UCS fossil fire power plant in China is more than 200 GW by the end of 2015, which has greatly contributed to the energy-saving and emission-reduction for China and the whole world. In China, the 610°C and 620°C advanced USC (A-USC) fossil fire power plants had been combined into the grid, 630°C A-USC fossil fire power plant is about to start to build, the feasibility of 650°C A-USC fossil fire power plant is under evaluation, 700°C AUSC fossil fire power plant has been included in the national energy development plan and the first Chinese 700°C A-USC testing rig had been put into operation in December 2015. The advanced heat resistant materials are the bottlenecking to develop A-USC fossil fire power plant worldwide. In this paper, the research and development of candidate heat resistant steels and alloys selected and/or used for 600+°C A-UCS fossil fire power plant in China is emphasized, including newly innovated G115 martensitic steel used for 630°C steam temperature, C-HRA-2 fully solid-solution strengthening nickel alloy used for 650°C steam temperature, C-HRA-3 solid-solution strengthening nickel alloy used for 680°C steam temperature, 984G iron-nickel alloy used for 680°C steam temperature, C-HRA-1 precipitation hardening nickel alloy and C700R1 solid-solution strengthening nickel alloy used for 700+°C steam temperature.

We have reported on the effort being done to develop the A-USC technology in Japan, which features the 700 deg-C steam condition, since the 2007 EPRI conference. Our 9 year project began in 2008. There have been some major changes in the electricity power market in the world recently. At first, the earthquake changed the power system violently in Japan. Almost all nuclear power plants have been shut down and natural gas, oil and coal power plants are working fully to satisfy the market's demands. In the USA, the so called ‘Shale gas revolution’ is going on. In Europe, they are working toward the target of reducing CO 2 emissions by the significant use of renewables with the backup of the fossil fuel power systems and enhancing power grids. A very rapid increase in power generation by coal is being observed in some countries. Despite some major changes in the electric sector in the world and the CO 2 problem, the global need for coal power generation is still high. We can reconfirm that the improvement of the thermal efficiency of coal power plants should be the most fundamental and important measure for the issues we are confronting today, and that continuous effort should be put towards it. Based on the study we showed at the 2007 conference, we developed 700 deg-C class technology mainly focusing on the material and manufacturing technology development and verification tests for key components such as boilers, turbines and valves. Fundamental technology developments have been done during the first half of the project term. Long term material tests such as creep rupture of base materials and welds will be conducted for 100,000hrs continuing after the end of the project with the joint effort of each participating company. Today, we are preparing the plan for the second half of the project, which is made up of boiler components test and the turbine rotating tests. Some boiler superheater panels, large diameter pipes and valves will be tested in a commercially operating boiler from 2015 to 2017. The turbine rotor materials which have the same diameter as commercial rotors will be tested at 700 deg-C and at actual speed.

As many nuclear power plants are in the license renewal operating period and some are entering subsequent license renewal, there is increased probability that repairs will be needed on components that have been exposed to significant neutron fluence. The neutron-driven transmutation of nickel and tramp boron in austenitic materials commonly used in reactor internals can lead to the generation of trapped helium and the associated risk of helium-induced cracking (HeIC) during weld repairs. In the weld heat affected zone, where temperatures are insufficient to allow the helium to diffuse out of the material, the helium can remain trapped. Upon cooling, the residual stresses, combined with weakened grain boundaries due to helium coalescence, can lead to cracking. The current ASME limit for helium content for Code repairs is 0.1 appm. Prior work has demonstrated a strong inverse correlation between helium content and permissible weld heat input for avoidance of HelC. The helium concentration in the material to be repaired is thus a critical input to the development of weld repair processes to be applied to these materials. The reliable measurement of helium in irradiated materials at concentrations relevant for the evaluation of HeIC risk is a specialized process. It is important to demonstrate that the capability is available and can be practically leveraged to support emergent repairs. This paper presents on the execution and results of a multi-laboratory test program aimed at demonstrating the industry capability of acquiring accurate, repeatable, and timely measurements of relatively low concentrations of helium (< ~20 appm) within austenitic materials commonly used in reactor internals. Participating laboratories were supplied with equivalent specimens extracted from boron-doped coupons that were irradiated to drive the boron-to-helium transmutation reaction. The results and lessons learned from the program are expected to support the development of industry guidance for the acquisition of similar measurements supporting nuclear component repairs.

Monoblock low-pressure (LP) turbine rotor shaft forgings for nuclear power plants have been produced from up to 600 ton ingots. However, ingots greater than 600 tons are necessary to increase the generator capacity. Segregation, non-metallic inclusions, and micro porosities inevitably increase with the increase in ingot size. Manufacturing such massive ingots with high soundness is quite difficult. Thus, the development of 650 ton ingot production was carried out in 2010. The 650 ton ingot was dissected and investigated to verify its internal quality. The internal quality of the 650 ton ingot was found to be equal to that of 600 ton ingots. Subsequently, in 2011, we produced a 670 ton ingot, the world’s largest, to produce a trial LP rotor shaft forging with a diameter of 3,200 mm. Results show that the internal quality, mechanical properties, and heat stability are the same as LP rotor shaft forgings made from 600 ton ingots.

The localized creep failure in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of Grade 91 steel weldments has been identified as one of the most important factors causing significantly shortened service lifetime and structural integrity issues of welded components in advanced fossil and nuclear power plants. To conduct a reliable creep lifetime assessment, a new engineering assessment approach has been developed by incorporating the experimentally determined local properties of the heterogeneous HAZ. By creep testing a purposely simulated HAZ specimen with in situ digital image correlation (DIC) technique, the highly gradient creep properties across the HAZ of Grade 91 steel was quantitatively measured. A physical creep cavitation constitutive model was proposed to investigate the local creep deformation and damage accumulation within the heterogeneous HAZ, which takes into account the nucleation of creep cavities and their growth by both grain boundary diffusion and creep deformation. The relationship among the local material property, creep strain accumulation, and evolution characteristic of creep cavities was established. The approach was then utilized to investigate the creep response and subsequent life for an ex-service 9% Cr steel weldment by incorporating the effects of pre-existing damages which developed and accumulated during long-term services. The predicted results exhibited quantitative agreement with the DIC measurement in terms of both nominal/local creep deformation as well as the subsequent life under the test conditions at 650 and 80 MPa.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes (BPVC) and Code for Pressure Piping have been utilized extensively for the construction and maintenance of plants in the power generation industry. These codes consist of different relevant sections that are applicable to the various pressure retaining components and their service application. This paper presents a comparison of the welding requirements between the various ASME construction codes outside of the qualification requirements within Section IX. Topics of discussion include preheat temperature, interpass temperature, postweld heat treatment, toughness testing, filler material requirements, and use of standard welding procedure specifications. Individual paragraphs and subparagraphs specific to these topics are compared and contrasted to establish their similarities and differences.

The manufacture of large, complex components for ultra-supercritical and oxy-combustion applications will be extremely costly for industry over the next few decades as many of these components will be manufactured from expensive, high strength, nickel-based alloys casting and forgings. The current feasibility study investigates the use of an alternative manufacturing method, powder metallurgy and hot isostatic processing (PM/HIP), to produce high quality, and potentially less expensive components for power generation applications. Benefits of the process include manufacture of components to near-net shapes, precise chemistry control, a homogeneous microstructure, increased material utilization, good weldability, and improved inspectability.

In previous investigations on life with flexible driving were highly stressed components predominantly in hot continuous pressurized part of power plants in the foreground. However cases of damage and subsequent studies on peripheral components such as the boiler circulation system (boiler circulating pump) showed that a potential failure as well as a high hazard potential respectively great consequential damage can occur when such components are operated under different conditions. To avoid damages and losses resulting from damage to peripheral components, these components have to be subjected to further analysis. Here especially the pump housing is in the focus.

In flexible operation with increased number of startup, shutdown, and load fluctuations, thermal fatigue damage is exacerbated along with existing creep damage in power plant pipe and pressure vessels. Recently, cracks were found in the start-up vent pipe branching from the reheat steam pipe within a heat recovery steam generator(HRSG) of J-class gas turbine, occurring in the P92 base material and repair welds. This pipe has been used at the power plant for about 10 years. Microstructural analysis of the cross-section indicated that the cracks were primarily due to thermal fatigue, growing within the grains without changing direction along the grain boundaries. To identify the damage mechanism and evaluate the remaining life, temperature and strain monitoring were taken from the damaged piping during startup and normal operation.

Solidification cracking (SC) is a defect that occurs in the weld metal at the end of the solidification. It is associated with the presence of mechanical and thermal stresses, besides a susceptible chemical composition. Materials with a high solidification temperature range (STR) are more prone to the occurrence of these defects due to the formation of eutectic liquids wetting along the grain boundaries. The liquid film collapses once the structure shrinks and stresses act during the solidification. Thus, predicting the occurrence of SC before the welding process is important to address the problem and avoid the failure of welded components. The nuclear power industry has several applications with dissimilar welding and SC-susceptible materials, such as austenitic stainless steels, and Ni-based alloys. Compositional optimization stands out as a viable approach to effectively mitigate SC in austenitic alloys. The integration of computational modeling into welding has significantly revolutionized the field of materials science, enabling the rapid and cost-effective development of innovative alloys. In this work, a SC resistance evaluation is used to sort welding materials based on a computational fluid dynamic (CFC) model and the alloy's chemical composition. An index named Flow Resistance Index (FRI) is used to compare different base materials and filler metals as a function of dilution. This calculation provides insights into the susceptibility to SC in dissimilar welding, particularly within a defined dilution range for various alloys. To assess the effectiveness of this approach, the relative susceptibility of the materials was compared to well-established experimental data carried out using weldability tests (Transvarestraint and cast pin tear test). The FRI calculation was programmed in Python language and was able to rank different materials and indicate the most susceptible alloy combination based on the dilution and chemical composition.

For four decades, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has led groundbreaking materials research in the power industry, yielding significant cost savings across fossil, nuclear, and power delivery sectors. This paper outlines EPRI's fossil-related research, conducted through three major programs: Fossil Materials&Repair (P87 Base program), Materials-Fossil&Nuclear strategic program, and a supplemental program addressing key industry initiatives. EPRI's research focuses on understanding damage mechanisms, developing improved materials, enhancing life prediction methodologies, and advancing component degradation assessment. The paper highlights the synergy between EPRI's short- and long-term research initiatives, referencing several presentations from the 6th International Conference on Advances in Materials Technology for Fossil Power Plants. By showcasing EPRI's comprehensive approach to materials research, this overview demonstrates the institute's ongoing commitment to advancing power generation technology and efficiency.

Diffusion bonded compact heat exchangers have exceptionally high heat transfer efficiency and might significantly improve the performance and reduce the cost of supercritical carbon-dioxide Brayton cycle power plants using high temperature heat sources, like high temperature nuclear reactors and concentrating solar power plants. While these heat exchangers have an excellent service history for lower temperature applications, considerable uncertainty remains on the performance of diffusion bonded material operating in the creep regime. This paper describes a microstructural modeling framework to explore the plausible mechanisms that may explain the reduced creep ductility and strength of diffusion bonded material, compared to wrought material. The crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) is used to study factors affecting bond strength in polycrystals mimicking diffusion bonded microstructures. Additionally, the phase field method is also employed to simulate the grain growth and recrystallization at the bond line to model the bonding process and CPFEM is used to predict the resulting material performance to connect processing parameters to the expected creep life and ductility of the material, and to study potential means to improve the structural reliability of the material and the resulting components by optimizing the material processing parameters.

Listings of the organizing committee, international advisory board, and technical review team for the 2024 Advances in Materials, Manufacturing, and Repair for Power Plants conference.

Long-term performance of high temperature alloys is critically linked to the oxidation behavior in power generation applications in wet air and steam. As power generation systems move towards higher efficiency operation, nextgeneration fossil, nuclear and concentrating solar power plants are considering supercritical CO 2 cycle above 700°C. Wrought solid solution strengthened and precipitations strengthened alloys are leading candidates for both steam and Supercritical CO 2 power cycles. This study evaluates the cyclic oxidation behavior of HAYNES 230, 282, and 625 alloys in wet air, flowing laboratory air, steam and in 1 and 300 bar Supercritical CO 2 at ~750°C for duration of 1000 -10,000h. Test samples were thermally cycled for various times at temperature followed by cooling to room temperature. Alloy performances were assessed by analyzing the weight change behavior and extent of attack. The results clearly demonstrated the effects of alloy composition and environment on the long-term cyclic oxidation resistance. The extents of attack varied from alloy to alloy but none of the alloys underwent catastrophic corrosion and no significant internal carburization was observed in supercritical CO 2 . The performance of these alloys indicates that these materials are compatible not only in oxidizing environments, but also in Supercritical CO 2 environments for extended service operation.

This presentation compares the corrosion resistance of uncoated Haynes 230 and SS316HS substrates to the same substrates coated with a Fe-based amorphous alloy. The substrates were exposed to highly corrosive media, FLiNaK, for 120 hours at 700 °C. The findings indicate that the thermal spray amorphous alloy coating provided superior corrosion resistance within the coatings while protecting the substrates against the aggressive environment. As a result, the new amorphous metal coating improved the substrate's lifespan by providing better protection against high-temperature corrosion, paving the way for a more efficient and cost-effective future in various industrial applications.

The incore instrumentation system of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) facilitates neutron flux mapping and temperature measurements at specific core locations. A guide conduit, extending from the seal table to the lower reactor pressure vessel head, guides and protects each incore guide thimble between the table and the lower reactor vessel head. Each flux thimble houses a detector and drive cable. Once filled with reactor coolant, the conduit becomes an extension of the reactor coolant pressure boundary. This paper reports the examination results of cracking detected in a TP304 stainless steel guide conduit adjacent to a fillet weld at the upper surface of a TP304 seal table. The cracking resulted in reactor coolant leakage that was detected by the presence of boric acid deposits on the exterior of the conduit and table. Failure analysis including dimensional measurements, chemical analysis, stereomicroscopy, metallography, and scanning electron microscopy showed that extensive cracking of the conduit and seal table material occurred due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC). Assessment showed that chlorine-containing deposits were present on the exterior of the conduit and on the surfaces of the seal table and were due to the design and operation of HVAC systems at the coastal plant. Stainless steels are susceptible to SCC in environments with elevated temperatures, chloride contents, and increased tensile stress – particularly in non-post weld heat treated (PWHT) weld regions and the heat affected zone (HAZ). This was the apparent primary cause of the failure. However, chloride-induced SCC of such materials typically results in transgranular crack propagation, whereas the observed cracks were indicative of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC). Microstructural analysis showed that the observed cracks initiated in sensitized areas of material adjacent to the weld. Sensitization of the material caused chromium depletion from adjacent areas and increased susceptibility of the depleted areas to IGSCC. In this case, the most probable source of sensitization was related to welding and the long-term growth of grain boundary carbides nucleated during welding. This was considered a contributing cause to the failure.

In order to clarify the effect of stress state on microstructural changes during creep, the microstructure was observed in the central part of the cross section of the fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) and in the surface region of the FGHAZ in Gr.92 steel welded joint. Creep tests were performed under constant load in air at 650°C, using cross-weld specimens. The creep strength of welded joint was lower than that of base metal. Type IV fracture occurred in the long-term. Creep voids were detected in the FGHAZ after the fracture. Number of creep voids was higher in the central part of the cross section of the FGHAZ than in the surface region of the FGHAZ. It was checked the multiaxiality of stress during creep was higher in the central part of the cross section of the FGHAZ than in the surface region of the FGHAZ. The recovery of dislocation structure occurred after creep in the base metal and the FGHAZ. Mean subgrain size increased with increasing time to rupture. However, there was no difference of change of subgrain size during creep in the central part of the cross section of the FGHAZ and in the surface region of the FGHAZ. The growth of M 23 C 6 carbide and MX carbonitrides was observed during creep in the base metal and the FGHAZ. Laves phase precipitation occurred during creep. There was no difference of the change of mean diameter of MX carbonitrides in the central part of the cross section of the FGHAZ and in the surface region of the FGHAZ after creep. However, the growth rate of M 23 C 6 carbide in the FGHAZ was much higher in the central part of the cross section than in the surface region.

This study investigates the microstructure evolution of Type 316H stainless steel, focusing on the identification of major precipitates using advanced characterization techniques. The precipitation sequence at service temperatures of 650°C is identified as M 23 C 6 , followed by Laves phase, grain boundary (GB) sigma phase, and inter-granular sigma phase. At 750°C, the sequence progresses from M 23 C 6 to Laves phase, GB sigma phase, chi phase, and intra-granular sigma phase, with the chi phase forming intra- and inter-granularly after 5,000 hours of aging. During the formation of the sigma and chi phases, carbides and Laves phases dissolve. A Monte Carlo model has been developed to predict detailed microstructure evolution during long-term aging, calibrated using quantitative precipitate evolution measurements of Type 316H. After validation, the model aligns well with experimental data, offering a method to predict the microstructure of Type 316H and potentially other austenitic stainless steels over the lifespan of power plants.

The “Cool Earth-Innovative Energy Technology Program,” launched by the Japanese government in March 2008, aims to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Among the 21 selected technologies is the Advanced Ultra Super Critical (A-USC) pressure power generation, which targets the commercialization of a 700°C class pulverized coal power system with a power generation efficiency of 46% by around 2015. As of 2004, Japan's pulverized coal power plant capacity reached 35 GW, with the latest plants achieving a steam temperature of 600°C and a net thermal efficiency of approximately 42% (HHV). Older plants from the 1970s and early 1980s, with steam temperatures of 538°C or 566°C, are nearing the need for refurbishment or rebuilding. A case study on retrofitting these older plants with A-USC technology, which uses a 700°C class steam temperature, demonstrated that this technology is suitable for such upgrades and can reduce CO 2 emissions by about 15%. Following this study, a large-scale development of A-USC technology began in August 2008, focusing on developing 700°C class boiler, turbine, and valve technologies, including high-temperature material technology. Candidate materials for boilers and turbine rotor and casing materials are being developed and tested. Two years into the project, useful test results regarding these candidate materials have been obtained, contributing to the advancement of A-USC technology.

For higher efficiency and competitive overall performance, it would be an advantage to be able to safely exceed the highest operational values, currently up to about 600-620°C/25-30 MPa in supercritical (SC) boiler plants. Under such operating conditions the oxidation resistance in SC water tends to limit the potential for further improvement of efficiency. The way to increase the oxidation resistance of traditional austenitic boiler tubes e.g. TP 347H is to do additional cold work on the boiler tube inner surface. In the current paper the effect of cold work on the oxidation resistance of TP347H and TP347HFG has been evaluated by shot peened samples with different parameters and subjecting those samples to supercritical oxidation exposure. The results show an improvement in the oxidation resistance of the alloys, especially in the large grained alloy TP347H. Also the uniformity of the deformation layer was seen to have an influence on the oxidation resistance, since the oxide nodules start to grow at locations with the thinnest or no deformation layer.