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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Identify, test and develop qualification criteria for environmentally friendly corrosion protective coatings and corrosion preventative compounds (CPC's) for flight hardware an ground support equipment.
A stress corrosion evaluation was performed on NiTiHf alloy because this material is considered a bearing material candidate for the Environmental Control and Life Support System. Stressed round tensile specimens survived exposures to alternate pretreat, alternate brine, baseline pretreat, baseline brine, and 3.5% NaCl alternate immersion. Metallographic evaluations did not detect stress corrosion on exposed samples. The ultimate tensile strength values varied significantly for this material, which is common for bearing materials. This variation was observed on both, exposed and nonexposed specimens. The results of this work indicate that this material has potential applications as a bearing material.
Inconel X-750 alloy was evaluated for stress corrosion in support of the International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System. Round tensile specimens that were obtained from 0.25 in thick material successfully completed 365 days of exposure to baseline pretreat, baseline brine, alternate pretreat, alternate brine, and 3.5% NaCl alternate immersion without any failures at stresses of up to 90% of the yield strength. Posttest evaluations consisting of metallography and tensile testing did not indicate stress corrosion susceptibility.
Oxy-fuel fireside research goals are: (1) determine the effect of oxyfuel combustion on fireside corrosion - flue gas recycle choice, staged combustion ramifications; and (2) develop methods to use chromia solubility in ash as an ash corrosivity measurement - synthetic ashes at first, then boiler and burner rig ashes.
The goal is to develop technologies for pulverized coal boilers with >90% CO{sub 2} capture and sequestration and <35% increase in the cost of electricity. Air-fired power plant experience shows a corrosion loss max at 680-700 C. Low melting point alkali metal trisulfates, such as (K,Na){sub 3}Fe(SO{sub 4}){sub 3}, become thermally unstable above this temperature range. Some overall conclusions are: (1) CO{sub 2} + 30% H{sub 2}O more corrosive than Ar + 30% H{sub 2}O; (2) Excess O{sub 2} in H{sub 2}O can, in some cases, greatly increase oxidation; (3) Coal ash is generally innocuous without SO{sub 3}3 in gas phase; and (4) Long-term exposures are starting to establish differences between air-firing and oxy-firing conditions.
Oxy-Fuel Fireside Research goals are: (1) Determine the effect of oxy-fuel combustion on fireside corrosion - (a) Flue gas recycle choice, Staged combustion ramifications, (c) JCOAL Collaboration; and (2) Develop methods to use chromia solubility in ash as an 'ash corrosivity' measurement - (a) Synthetic ashes at first, then boiler and burner rig ashes, (b) Applicable to SH/RH conditions.
The goals are to: (1) Achieve 90% CO{sub 2} capture at no more than a 35% increase in levelized cost of electricity of post-combustion capture for new and existing conventional coal-fired power plants; (2) Provide high-temperature corrosion information to aid in materials development and selection for oxy-fuel combustion; and (3) Identify corrosion mechanism and behavior differences between air- and oxy-firing.
When exposed to moisture or oxygen, molten chloride salts produce corrosive impurities which degrade containment alloys. As a result, this can significantly decrease the lifetime and increase costs of molten-salt-based systems. To overcome this barrier, we designed and modeled an electrochemical purification cell to remove the corrosive impurity MgOH+. Various reactor architectures, including constant stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) and plug flow reactors (PFRs) were investigated. Steady-state thermoelectric properties were evaluated, allowing assessment of the effects of structure and design parameters such as flow rate, cell length, and cross-sectional area of molten salt. The results suggest that our design could most effectively increase reliability and decrease costs of molten-chloride-salt-based systems by protecting them during continuous operation using an annular plug flow reactor.
A Fitness-for-Service (FFS) program for the Waste Transfer System has been implemented by the United States Department of Energy Hanford Site Tank Farm to examine structural parameters of the waste transfer systems in order to develop erosion/corrosion rates for relevant system components. The FFS information is acquired from opportunistic evaluations of pipelines that have been removed from service. The objective is to deliver more realistic estimates to the remaining useful life of the components and incorporate those estimates into future design/testing plans across the DOE complex. To aid to this objective, previous efforts at Hanford included the installation of sensors on some of the POR 104 components, to provide real time pipe wall thickness measurements. Due to certain limitations, alternative approaches for remote permanently mounted pipe wall ultrasonic thickness measurement systems have been investigated by FIU. Present research work is a supportive effort by FIU-ARC for DOE and WRPS, which investigates the option for remote-permanently mount guided wave ultrasonic transducer (UT) systems for HLW pipe wall thickness measurements. Specific applications include straight sections, elbows and other fittings used in jumper pits, evaporators, and valve boxes. The proposed method will provide information that will assist engineers with understanding the failure potential of HLW transfer components due to corrosion and erosion. This information can assist in determining if and when lines need to be removed, saving time and resources on the unneeded excavation of transfer lines. This information will also assist engineers with designing new transfer systems by establishing more detailed/accurate guidelines governing the life expectancy of the transfer system and its components. In the previous work, FIU has investigated the use of various ultrasonic systems that are either commercially available or used previously at Hanford and selected the most promising systems for further evaluation. The down-selected system is the guided wave UT sensor system from Permasense which is a UK based manufacturer. It is an integrated wireless sensor network system which used a patented technology for the acoustic wave propagation and has proven applications in the oil and gas industries. Scope of the present research includes the initial verification and validation of the Permasense Guided Wave sensor system as a potential erosion/corrosion detection system for carbon steel pipelines under static conditions. In future, the real-time erosion/corrosion detection will be investigated by measuring the thinning of the pipe sections by circulating simulants and continuous monitoring. This is achieved by passing abrasive and caustic solutions through an in-house designed pipe loop system. Results obtained provide realistic wear rates on 2 inch and 3 inch carbon steel pipes with straight sections and elbows using the Permasense UT sensor system. Thus, the present research delivers solutions for sensor evaluations, conducts bench scale testing followed by data acquisition and analysis for corrosion and erosion assessment. (authors)
Supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO{sub 2}) Brayton cycles are attractive for thermal power generation since they offer highly efficient means of power generation (thermal solar, coal, nuclear, etc.) with a compact footprint, resulting in potential cost savings. The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) is developing an S-CO{sub 2}- Brayton Cycle design for advanced reactors using sodium and molten salt coolants. Coiled tube gas heaters (CTGH) made from 316L stainless steel are presently foreseen to transfer heat from a sodium or molten salt coolant at atmospheric pressure (approximately 0.1 MPa) to an S-CO{sub 2} power conversion fluid at very high pressure (approximately 20 MPa or more). CTGHs operate at temperatures of 400 to 700 deg. C where time-dependent creep is an important design issue. Given the high external pressure conditions and compressive stress, the highest stresses and creep rates in CTGH are expected to occur at the tube-to-tubesheet joints. UCB has developed different diffusion bonding techniques to fabricate 316L stainless steel tube-to-tubesheet joint dummies representative of the final design: press fitting and diffusion bonding, tube expansion and diffusion bonding as well as hybrid friction diffusion bonding. High pressure/temperature testing of such joints in an S-CO{sub 2} environment is important prior to deployment and will be foreseen with the corrosion test rig introduced in this work. This summary provides a brief overview of an Innovative S-CO, creep corrosion test rig for tube-to-tube sheet joint testing currently under construction at UCB. In contrast to other comparable test rigs, the design (1) makes the samples an active part of the pressure barrier and (2) uses internal insulation to reduce the temperature at the vessel wall, allowing the vessel to be manufactured from commercial carbon steel. (authors)
The application of SiC composite as a corrosion-resistive coating of graphite remains an important task for HTGR. Different methods and technologies have been developed for SiC-coatings of fuel and graphite frames to reduce their chemical corrosion/spraying and sorption capacity with respect to hydrogen. The use of such a coating would lead to some stabilization of the structure of carbon formations and their properties, which are changing in almost all HTGR operational regimes. This paper presents a study of the chemical interaction of the SiC gradient coating of the high-density IG-110 graphite with H{sub 2}O, O{sub 2}, CH{sub 4}, H{sub 2}, at pressures 1 and 100 Pa in a temperature range up to 1400 deg. C. The experiments at 100 Pa were conducted using mass spectrometry registration of time dependencies of partial pressure changes of the gas mixture, keeping the sample at a constant temperature (integral mode). Similar registrations at 1 Pa of moisture were made in differential mode (under continuous pump out) with 10 deg. C/min heating/cooling rate. The experimental results and microstructural study made it possible to get the parameters and peculiarities of the passive and the active corrosions of SiC and draw some conclusions about the level of the reduction of gas interaction with the bulk graphite due to SiC coating (authors)
The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program operating under the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy is accelerating the qualification and deployment of additively manufactured materials in advanced reactor environments. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) has emerged as a promising additive manufacturing technique to fabricate complex components with the potential of tailored material properties. In the nuclear industry, metal additive manufacturing can offer numerous advantages, such as reduced lead times, streamlined quality assurance, and cost-effective low-volume production of new and replacement components with conventional or novel materials and geometries. The rapid and effective qualification of the effect of processing variability on the performance and degradation of additively manufactured materials is essential for the deployment of these components into advanced reactor environments. As part of this effort, AMMT is performing irradiation and corrosion testing of several materials built by LPBF, including 316L and 316H stainless steels. Our efforts encompass neutron irradiation testing, ion irradiation testing, and advanced modeling to provide a robust technical basis for understanding the effect of process variability on materials degradation and developing a sound methodology for accelerated ion irradiation testing. We develop focused irradiation test plans that align well with risk-informed and technologically inclusive approaches to licensing. We will also discuss our plans and specific concerns for corrosion testing additively manufactured material, with a primary focus on molten salt and liquid sodium environments.
This work aims to investigate the corrosion performance of the hydrophobic coating and determine the water uptake. Electrochemical corrosion experiments were carried out on bare X65 carbon steel without and with coating in 3.5 wt.% NaCl saturated with CO2 at 20 °C to follow the water uptake as a function of exposure time.
Steel pipelines are a safe, reliable, and affordable way to transport natural gas. However, the presence of impurities (e.g., water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide) in the natural gas can cause internal corrosion, which can lead to pipeline leaks and failure. This paper reports on field tests of an innovative self-healing, corrosion-resistant, metallic coating developed at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for protecting the interior surfaces of pipelines.
Thermal energy storage (TES) using a phase change material (PCM) has been proposed as a supplemental cooling system to improve the performance of power plant air‐cooled condensers (ACCs). In this proposed system, frozen PCM would remove heat from plant's condensing steam during the day, which would melt the PCM. The PCM would be frozen at night as its stored heat is rejected to the cooler atmosphere. Calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl 2 · 6H 2 O) is an attractive material to serve as a PCM in this innovative system due to its appropriate melting temperature, low price, and relatively high latent heat of fusion. The corrosion of container materials is a major challenge in using CaCl 2 · 6H 2 O. Any material used needs to survive constant exposure to the salt for several years to ensure a long operational life for the system. In this study, the corrosion behavior of four metals in contact with CaCl 2 · 6H 2 O was experimentally investigated. Three different temperature conditions and two pH level conditions were considered under static metal exposure conditions.
During stress corrosion crack propagation, stress values in the crack tip vicinity often exceed material yield stress limit. Plastic deformation processes may accompany and influence cracking. Here, stress corrosion crack propagation and deformation mechanisms were investigated using EBSD analysis. The investigated material was 304L Ti-enriched austenitic stainless steel irradiated to 10.4 dpa at 320°C in the BOR-60 fast reactor. Crack growth tests were conducted in a simulated Normal Water Chemistry (NWC) environment in the temperature range 288–320 °C using compact tension specimens. By analyzing crack trajectory and grain structure in the crack vicinity, it was established that grain orientation with respect to the acting stress direction was not a key factor controlling crack propagation. No crystallographic orientation susceptible to cracking was identified. Also, EBSD analysis revealed strong inhomogeneity in plastic strain distribution along the crack path. Most crack-adjacent grains remained virtually strain-free whereas few grains experienced strong plastic strain. These areas were presumed to be “plastic bridges” or “ductile ligaments.”
The impact of a graded metallic spacer on the galvanic corrosion between magnesium and mild steel is investigated in this work using a COMSOL model based on a validated numerical model. A graded spacer of 4 mm thickness decreases the peak galvanic corrosion by 50% over a system without a spacer, and 37% over a system with an aluminum spacer. The impact of the electrochemical properties of spacer materials is also investigated.
We report that electrochemical characteristics and semiconducting behavior of additively manufactured electron beam melted (EBM) and wrought (WR) Ti–6Al–4V (Ti-G5) are compared in Ringer’s physiological solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) confirmed the α+β structure of the tested materials, with two different microstructure types of “bimodal” and “basket-weave” for WR and EBM, respectively. Potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) revealed that the corrosion current density for EBM (i corr =0.27±0.06 μA cm -2 ) is less than the WR (i corr =0.70±0.05 μA cm -2 ). Moreover, potentiostatic polarization (PS) that was employed to form the passive layers at three different potentials of 300, 500, and 700 mV Ag/AgCl , showed that the passive films on the EBM sample are thinner. This finding was confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Furthermore, through Mott–Schottky (M–S) analysis, donor densities on WR passive films were found to be ~1.5 times larger than EBM. Although PS and EIS confirmed that the passive layer on EBM is thinner, it provides higher corrosion resistance than WR. The passive layer on both samples were found to have n-type characteristics with a duplex structure.