Patent ID: 12186809

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A wall construction is provided for separating a low oxygen content corrosive environment from a high oxygen content oxidizing environment. The wall construction is particularly suited for molten salt reactors, but also can have other applications.

The wall has a wall thickness and a first surface segment for contacting the low oxygen content corrosive environment, and a second surface segment for contacting the high oxygen content oxidizing environment. The term “surface segment” as used herein means the respective first or second surfaces of the wall, including the surface layer of the alloy composition and possibly also several subsurface layers where the surface composition is the same. The term surface segment means that the composition of the alloy at each surface of the wall can remain the same for several subsurface layers extending inward from the surface molecular layer, after which the alloy is compositionally graded from the first surface segment to the second surface segment. For example, the term first surface segment can refer to up to 50% of the wall thickness from a first surface molecular layer of the first surface segment to several subsurface layers extending inward from the first surface layer. The first surface segment can be 0 (only the surface layer), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 or 50% of the wall thickness, extending inward from the first surface layer, or within a range of any high or low value selected from these values. The term second surface segment can refer to up to 50% of the wall thickness from the second surface molecular layer of the second surface segment to several subsurface layers extending inward from the second surface layer. The second surface segment can be 0 (only the surface layer), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 or 50% of the wall thickness, extending inward from the second surface layer, or within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The wall comprises an alloy comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of, in weight percent: 0 to 5 Al; 5 to 30 Cr; 0 to 20 Co; 0 to 70 Fe; 0 to 2 Nb; 0 to 2 Ta; 0 to 3 Ti; 0 to 1 Si; 0 to 1 V; 0 to 2 Mn; 0 to 5 Cu; 0 to 30 Mo; 0 to 30 W; 0 to 0.1 P; 0 to 1 Zr; 0 to 1 Hf; 0 to 0.1 Y; 0.05 to 0.5 C; 0 to 0.1 N; and balance Ni. The composition of the alloy is graded from the first surface segment to the second surface segment and so these are average values across the thickness from the first surface segment to the second surface segment.

The alloy can be step-wise compositionally graded from the first surface segment to the second surface segment. The alloy composition at the first surface segment comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, in weight percent based on the total composition of the alloy at the first surface segment, 5-15 Cr, 0-70 Fe, 0-5 Co, 0-30 Mo, 0-1 Mn, 0-0.5 Si, 0-0.1 C, and balance Ni. The alloy composition at the second surface segment comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, in weight percent based on the total composition of the alloy at the second surface segment, 15-30 Cr, 0-70 Fe, 0-20 Co, 0-30 Mo, 0-3 Ti, 0-5 Al, 0-0.5 C, and balance Ni. The compositional grading can be linear, step-wise, or other depending on the requirements of the wall.

The alloy has a stable FCC austenitic matrix microstructure, with strengthening phases comprising gamma prime with a volume fraction of 0 to 30% and carbides with a volume fraction of 0 to 5%. The volume fraction of gamma prime based on the total volume of the alloy can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 vol %, and can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values. The volume fraction of MC, and M6C type carbides (where M is a metallic element), based on the total volume of the alloy, can be 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 or 5 vol %, and can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values. Possible carbides include, but are not limited to, Mo-rich M6C-type carbides, Cr-rich M23C6-type carbides and Ti-rich MC-type carbides.

The wall can provide corrosion resistance to the liquid low oxygen content corrosive environment with O content between 0 to 20,000 ppm and to the high oxygen content oxidizing environment with O partial pressure between 10-20 to 1 bar, such that the depth of corrosion attack on the first and second surface segments after 10,000 h at 800° C. is no more than 10% of the wall thickness.

The alloy can include from 0 to 5 wt % Al, based on the total weight of the alloy. The Al can be 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 or 5 wt. %. The weight percent of Al in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Cr in the alloy can be from 5 to 30 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Cr in the alloy, in weight percent, can be 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 wt. %. The weight percent of Cr in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Co in the alloy can be from 0 to 20 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Co in the alloy can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 wt. %. The weight percent of Co in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Fe in the alloy can be from 0 to 70 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Fe in the alloy can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, or 70 wt. %. The weight percent of Fe in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Nb in the alloy can be from 0 to 2 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Nb in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 or 2 wt. %. The weight percent of Nb in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Ta in the alloy can be from 0 to 2 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Ta in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 or 2 wt. %. The weight percent of Ta in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Ti in the alloy can be from 0 to 3 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Ti in the alloy can be 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8 or 3 wt. %. The weight percent of Ti in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Si in the alloy can be from 0 to 1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Si in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 wt. %. The weight percent of Si in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of V in the alloy can be from 0 to 1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of V in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 wt. %. The weight percent of V in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Mn in the alloy can be from 0 to 2 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Mn in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 or 2 wt. %. The weight percent of Mn in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Cu in the alloy can be from 0 to 5 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Cu in the alloy can be 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, or 5 wt. %. The weight percent of Cu in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Mo in the alloy can be from 0 to 30 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Mo in the alloy can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 wt. %. The weight percent of Mo in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of W in the alloy can be from 0 to 30 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of W in the alloy can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 wt. %. The weight percent of W in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of P in the alloy can be from 0 to 0.1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of P in the alloy can be 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, or 0.1 wt. %. The weight percent of P in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Zr in the alloy can be from 0 to 1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Zr in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 wt. %. The weight percent of Zr in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Hf in the alloy can be from 0 to 1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Hf in the alloy can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 wt. %. The weight percent of Hf in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of Y in the alloy can be from 0 to 0.1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of Y in the alloy can be 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, or 0.1 wt. %. The weight percent of Y in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of C in the alloy can be from 0.05 to 0.5 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of C in the alloy can be 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, or 0.5 wt. %. The weight percent of C in the alloy can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The amount of N in the alloy can be from 0 to 0.1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the alloy. The amount of N in the alloy can be 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, or 0.1 wt. %. The weight percent of N in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 60-80 wt. % Ni, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Ni in the alloy at the first surface segment can be 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 or 80 wt. %. The weight percent of Ni in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 5-15 wt. % Cr, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Cr in the alloy at the first surface segment can be 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 wt. %. The weight percent of Cr in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 0-70 wt. % Fe, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Fe at the first surface segment can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, or 70 wt. %. The weight percent of Fe in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 0-5 wt. % Co, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Co at the first surface segment can be 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, or 5 wt. %. The weight percent of Co in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can be from 0-30 wt. % Mo, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Mo at the first surface segment can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 wt. %. The weight percent of Mo in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 0-1 wt. % Mn, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Mn at the first surface segment can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 wt. %. The weight percent of Mn in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 0-0.5 wt. % Si, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of Si at the first surface segment can be 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, or 0.5 wt. %. The weight percent of Si in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment can comprise from 0-0.1 wt. % C, based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment. The amount of C at the first surface segment can be 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, or 0.1 wt. %. The weight percent of C in the alloy at the first surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can comprise from 40-70 wt. % Ni, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Ni at the second surface segment can be 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, or 70 wt. %. The weight percent of Ni in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can comprise from 15-30 wt. % Cr, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Cr at the second surface segment can be 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 wt. %. The weight percent of Cr in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can comprise from 0-70 wt. % Fe, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Fe at the second surface segment can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, or 70 wt. %. The weight percent of Fe in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can be comprise from 0-20 wt. % Co, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Co at the second surface segment can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 wt. %. The weight percent of Co in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can comprise from 0-30 wt. % Mo, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Mo at the second surface segment can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 wt. %. The weight percent of Mo in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can comprise from 0-3 wt. % Ti, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Ti at the second surface segment can be 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8 or 3 wt. %. The weight percent of Ti in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment can comprise from 0-5 wt. % Al, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of Al at the second surface segment can be 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, or 5. The weight percent of Al in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The composition of the second surface segment can comprise from 0-0.5 wt. % C, based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment. The amount of C at the second surface segment can be 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, or 0.5 wt. %. The weight percent of C in the alloy at the second surface segment can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The fraction of the strengthening phases can be at a maximum over at least 50% of the wall thickness. The wall can have any thickness. The wall in some embodiments can be greater than 2 mm in thickness. The types of articles that can be made with the graded alloy construction of the invention include plate type heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, containment structures such as pipes and storage tanks, heat pipes, and fluidized bed heat exchangers, and in general wherever there is a need for surface protection and no compromise in mechanical properties is desired or dual corrosive environments exist on opposing surfaces.

The alloy can be deposited by any suitable additive manufacturing method. The alloy can be deposited by directed energy deposition. The laser power can be between 200-2500 W. The powder feed rate can be between 2-20 g/min. The scan speed can be between 5-20 mm/s. The hopper disk speed can be between 0.1 to 5 rpm. The layer height can be between 0.2-2 mm.

The invention provides manufacturing techniques that synergistically integrate established, high-fidelity, physics-based thermo-kinetic models enabling co-design by enabling a parallel rather than series approach to design of mechanical and corrosion stability, and fabrication of digitally graded architectures with precisely tailored zone-based properties. The invention provides alloy systems for molten salt reactors for operation at higher temperatures greater than 750° C. A blown powder directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing technique is employed to generate builds with graded compositions from UNS #N1003 alloy (to UNS #N07208 alloys. A coupled thermodynamic-kinetic model was employed to determine the compositional gradients that will facilitate corrosion resistant surfaces for dual environments while simultaneously mitigating the corrosion-induced degradation of strengthening phases in the alloy. Non-equilibrium solidification calculations were performed to identify compositional spaces which could lead to formation of brittle detrimental phases. Furthermore, simulations were conducted to predict the material behavior during operation in realistic test conditions and evaluate the long-term stability of the graded alloy. The modeling results were validated with corresponding experimental data from mechanical and corrosion testing.

Compositionally graded blocks were additively manufactured using blown powder Directed Energy Deposition (DED), a popular melt modality for high throughput fabrication of large-scale structures. The DED modality provides a unique opportunity to regulate deposition rates of terminal alloys via a multi-hopper powder-feeder system. Preliminary additive manufacturing trials had two distinct goals (i) independent parameter development of UNS #N07208 and UNS #N1003 depositions which was essential to produce robust builds with minimal defect density and close to optimal microstructure and (ii) deposition of two terminal alloy compositions directly on top of one another—to compare with the study of diffusion couples made from wrought UNS #N07208 and UNS #N1003 alloys. The measured compositions of the powders used for printing the materials are given in Table 2. Deviations in the powder chemistry from the wrought alloys were observed for UNS #N1003 with slightly lower concentrations of Fe, Mn and Si and a higher concentration of C. The powder chemistry of UNS #N07208 agreed well with the wrought variant.

TABLE 2Measured compositions (wt. %) of the HN and 282 powdersdetermined by plasma and combustion analyses.AlloyNiCrFeCoMoTiAlOtherHN73.47.43.30.0315.6——Mn 0.07Si 0.05C 0.0728258.019.20.310.28.52.11.5C 0.05

Initially, monolithic builds (˜2″×2″×2″) of individual compositions were attempted on 316L stainless steel substrate. The build trials of UNS #N07208 and UNS #N1003 alloys consisted of keeping constant laser power, laser scan speed, powder flow rate as well as spot size, while varying the layer height (gap between subsequent build layers) and step over distance (gap between two subsequent scan passes in the same layer). Visual inspection of successful builds was followed by computerized tomography (CT) scans of bulk builds and the generation of large scale mosaics from optical images to analyze the defect size and distribution within these specimens, which was critical for optimization of build parameters for each of the two alloys. Suitable ranges for the printing parameters are shown in the Table 3. For the generation of an abrupt compositional interface along the build direction, a 2″×2″×1″282 cube was built on a 316L substrate, followed by the fabrication of an UNS #N1003 cube of similar dimension directly on top of UNS #N07208. For these monolithic and abruptly graded builds, careful multiscale characterizations of the ensuing microstructures were undertaken.

TABLE 3Printing ParametersPowderLaserLaserFeedScanLayerrotationpowerratespeedheightSpotbetween(W)(g/min)(mm/s)(mm)sizelayers300-250010-1510-150.4-1.51-4 mm90°

The laser power can be from 300 to 2500 W. The laser power can be 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, or 2500 W. The laser power can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The powder feed rate can be from 10 to 15 g/min. The powder feed rate can be 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5, 14, 14.5, or 15 g/min. The powder feed rate can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The scan speed can be from 10 to 15 mm/s. The scan speed can be 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5, 14, 14.5, or 15 mm/s. The scan speed can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The layer height can be from 0.4 to 1.5 mm. The layer height can be 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, or 1.5 mm. The layer height can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The spot size can be from 1.0 to 4.0 mm. The spot size can be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 or 4.0 mm. The spot size can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

A functionally graded alloy for separating a low oxygen content corrosive environment from a high oxygen content oxidizing environment, comprises a thickness and a first surface segment for contacting the low oxygen content corrosive environment, and a second surface segment for contacting the high oxygen content oxidizing environment. The alloy comprises, in weight percent: 0 to 5 Al; 5 to 30 Cr; 0 to 20 Co; 0 to 70 Fe; 0 to 2 Nb; 0 to 2 Ta; 0 to 3 Ti; 0 to 1 Si; 0 to 1 V; 0 to 2 Mn; 0 to 5 Cu; 0 to 30 Mo; 0 to 30 W; 0 to 0.1 P; 0 to 1 Zr; 0 to 1 Hf; 0 to 0.1 Y; 0.05 to 0.5 C; 0 to 0.1 N; and balance Ni. The alloy is graded from the first surface segment to the second surface segment. The composition of the alloy at the first surface segment comprises, in weight percent based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment, 5-15 Cr, 0-70 Fe, 0-5 Co, 0-30 Mo, 0-1 Mn, 0-0.5 Si, 0-0.1 C, balance Ni. The composition of the alloy at the second surface segment comprises, in weight percent based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment, 15-30 Cr, 0-70 Fe, 0-20 Co, 0-30 Mo, 0-3 Ti, 0-5 Al, 0-0.5 C, balance Ni. The alloy has a stable FCC austenitic matrix microstructure, with strengthening phases comprising gamma prime with a volume fraction of 0 to 30% and carbides with a volume fraction of 0 to 5%, based on the total volume of the alloy.

A method of making a wall construction for a molten salt reactor having a low oxygen content corrosive environment from a high oxygen content oxidizing environment, is provided. The wall has a wall thickness and a first surface segment for contacting the low oxygen content corrosive environment, and a second surface segment for contacting the high oxygen content oxidizing environment. A first alloy is provided for the first surface segment, the first alloy comprising, in weight percent based on the total weight of the alloy at the first surface segment, 5-15 Cr, 0-70 Fe, 0-5 Co, 0-30 Mo, 0-1 Mn, 0-0.5 Si, 0-0.1 C, balance Ni. A second alloy is provided for the second surface segment, the second alloy comprising, in weight percent based on the total weight of the alloy at the second surface segment, 15-30 Cr, 0-70 Fe, 0-20 Co, 0-30 Mo, 0-3 Ti, 0-5 Al, 0-0.5 C, balance Ni. A compositionally graded wall is printed from the first surface segment using the first alloy to the second surface segment using the second alloy, to provide a compositionally and functionally graded alloy comprising, in weight percent: 0 to 5 Al; 5 to 30 Cr; 0 to 20 Co; 0 to 70 Fe; 0 to 2 Nb; 0 to 2 Ta; 0 to 3 Ti; 0 to 1 Si; 0 to 1 V; 0 to 2 Mn; 0 to 5 Cu; 0 to 30 Mo; 0 to 30 W; 0 to 0.1 P; 0 to 1 Zr; 0 to 1 Hf; 0 to 0.1 Y; 0.05 to 0.5 C; 0 to 0.1 N; and balance Ni. The wall construction provides corrosion resistance to the liquid low oxygen content corrosive environment with O content between 0 to 20,000 ppm and to the high oxygen content oxidizing environment with O partial pressure between 10-20 to 1 bar, such that the depth of corrosion attack on the first and second surface segments after 10,000 h at 800° C. is no more than 10% of the wall thickness. The printing can be by any suitable process including, but not limited to, directed energy deposition.

In one embodiment, the laser power is approximately 2200 W. In another embodiment, the powder feed rate is approximately 12 g/min. In a further embodiment, the scan speed is approximately 13.5 mm/s. In yet a further embodiment, the layer height is approximately 0.84 mm. In still another embodiment, the laser rotation between layers is approximately 90°.

For example, parameters used for the fabrication runs for the build trials discussed herein are shown in Table 4 below:

TABLE 4Parameters for Fabrication RunsPowderLaserLaserFeedScanLayerrotationpowerratespeedheightbetween(W)(g/min)(mm/s)(mm)layers22001213.50.8490°

A previously developed coupled thermodynamic-kinetic approach by one of the inventors was employed to model the interdiffusion in the UNS #N1003-UNS3N07208 diffusion couple, the simultaneously occurring oxidation, diffusion and dissolution processes in the dual material during high temperature exposures in the molten chloride salt. To enable realistic computational times for simulation of exposure duration (e.g., 20-40 kh), the modelling procedure was modified further to allow calculations to be run on parallel computing cores.

Corrosion testing of specimens in the binary KCl—MgCl2mixture at 816° C. for 500 h clearly showed the differences in attack on the two materials. The measured depletion of Cr in UNS #N1003 and UNS3N07208 after exposure for 500 h in the binary KCl—MgCl2eutectic (68:32 mol. %) salt mixture at 816° C. in Mo-capsules. The depth of Cr depletion (or of corrosive attack) was 20±3 μm in UNS #N07208 while a minimal attack of 3±2 μm was measured in UNS #N1003. There is no or little data for the corrosion behavior of 282 in molten chloride salts in the literature. It has been demonstrated for model Ni-based, Fe-based and multicomponent Ni-based alloys, 600, C276, 740H and 230 that the chemical activity and diffusion of Cr in the alloy primarily govern the corrosion kinetics during exposures in purified chloride salts. The calculated Cr activity of UNS #N07208 is about 7.5 times higher than in UNS #N1003 and significant corrosion can be expected for UNS #N07208 in molten halide salts after longer exposure times (10-30 kh). Although the primary alloying element dissolving in the halide salts from Ni-based and Fe-based alloys has been reported to be Cr, concurrent depletion of alloying constituents such as Fe, Mn and Ti is possible and has been reported before.

This simultaneous depletion of Al and Ti which stabilize the strengthening γ′ (gamma prime)-phase in UNS #N07208 will result in dissolution of the γ′-phase and thereby potential loss in its creep rupture strength in a molten salts environment.FIG.1shows the comparison between measured creep strains for UNS #N07208 specimens in air and in molten chloride salt environments at 816° C. and 173 MPa. It is evident that the creep strains in the molten salt environment are considerably higher than the ones measured in air. There is almost a 15% reduction in creep rupture life for the specimen creep tested in molten salts.FIGS.2A and2Bshow the measured depletion of Cr, Al and Ti respectively which confirms the depletion of the γ′-phase strengthening elements and thereby dissolution of the γ′-phase. A higher depth of attack (about 2 times) in terms of the depletion of the key elements can be observed for the exposures in molten salts compared to air exposures.

FIG.3compares the measured (EDS, average of 3 line profiles) and calculated Cr concentration profiles in UNS #N1003 and UNS #N07208 after exposure for 500 h in the binary KCl—MgCl2eutectic (68:32 mol. %) salt mixture at 816° C. in Mo-capsules. The agreement is acceptable for both alloys and the model can clearly show the differences in corrosion behavior between the two alloys. It is well-established that UNS #N07208 is a suitable material for sCO2-applications. The long-term oxidation behavior of UNS #N07208 in 300 bar sCO2has been studied extensively between 700-800° C. for exposure times up to 10 kh. The alloy primarily forms an external Cr2O3scale and was predicted to form this scale for up to 10 kh at a maximum temperature 820° C.

The good agreement of the model predictions with the experiments instill confidence in the applicability of the chosen approach to describe compositional changes and microstructural evolution in the dual material during annealing and subsequent high temperature exposures in the relevant operating environments. Analyses of the impact of the corrosion-induced microstructural changes on the mechanical properties was employed to strategize the grading of the additively manufactured dual material. A representative compositional grading is shown inFIG.4.

FIG.6shows the calculated compositional evolution for a dual graded UNS #N1003-UNS #N07208 material exposed to molten chloride salts on the UNS #N1003 surface and sCO2on the UNS #N07208 surfaces for 10,000 h at 800° C. It is evident from the figure that even after 10,000 h, there is negligible interdiffusion across the material indicating that the material chemistry is expected to be stable for long durations in service. In contrast, significant compositional and microstructural changes will occur with a coated alloy due to the inherent chemical incompatibility between a corrosion resistant coating and substrate material. The corrosion resistance can be quantified. Furthermore, the depth of corrosion attack on the molten salts side of the wall is about 70 μm and 100 μm on the sCO2side of the wall which is ≤10% of the total material thickness of 2000 μm.

The dual alloy consists essentially of a stable FCC austenitic matrix and contains one or more carbides and coherent precipitates of γ′ over at least 50% of the material thickness. As shown inFIG.5, the volume fraction of the L12(γ′) phase can be from 0 to 30% at 800° C. The volume fraction of the L12(γ′) phase can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30% at 800° C. The volume fraction of the L12(γ′) phase can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The volume fraction of the MC phase at 800° C. can be between 0 to 1.0%. The volume fraction of the MC phase at 800° C. can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0%. The volume fraction of the MC phase at 800° C. can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The volume fraction of the M6C phase at 800° C. can be between 0 to 0.5%. The volume fraction of the M6C phase at 800° C. can be 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5%. The volume fraction of the M6C phase at 800° C. can be within a range of any high value and low value selected from these values.

The compositional grading of the materials in this invention were carefully designed and optimized to balance mechanical strength and corrosion resistance in the two distinct environments on opposing surfaces. For operation at a target temperature of 816° C. for 10,000 h, up to 20 wt. % Mo and up to 10 wt. % Cr can be present in the alloy for a minimum of 10% volume of a 2 mm thick material to enhance the corrosion resistance on the molten salts side of the wall. Additionally, up to 3 wt. % Ti, up to 2 wt. % Al and up to 10 wt. % Mo can be present in the alloy for a minimum of 50% volume of a 2 mm thick material to enhance the mechanical properties of the alloy.

Within the allowable ranges of elements, particularly those of Al, Ti, Cr, Ni, Fe, Mo and W, the levels of the elements are adjusted relative to their respective concentrations to achieve a stable austenite phase matrix with desired strengthening phases while preventing formation of a significant fraction of brittle intermetallic phases during solidification of the melt pool. Additional non-equilibrium phases might form during solidification but the expected intermetallic phases, if any, will be limited to <0.1 vol. % within the compositional ranges of this invention.

The fabrication parameters were optimized in a fashion to enable rapid transition between different material chemistries while simultaneously avoiding print parameters that might result in potential defects and porosity. The invention required a suitable combination of laser power and spot size to achieve the minimum layer height of 0.3 mm that allows manufacturing a graded dual material with a minimum material thickness of 2 mm between the first and the second surface segments.

FIG.7shows that the elevated temperature tensile properties of the additively manufactured dual UNS #N1003-UNS #N07208 material are far superior to UNS #N1003 and comparable to UNS #N07208.FIG.8shows the Larson-Miller Parameter plot for different state of the art candidate materials such as UNS #N1003, Haynes 230 and UNS #N07208. The data for the additively manufactured dual UNS #N1003-UNS #N07208 material is plotted for comparison. The dual UNS #N1003-UNS #N07208 material is outperforming the candidate materials UNS #N1003, 230 and 240 while demonstrating comparable creep rupture life to UNS #N07208.

The invention combines physics-based thermokinetic modeling with additive manufacturing (directed energy deposition) to identify compatible materials that can be fabricated as a property-graded material to cater to application-specific needs. During the design process, the invention accounts for corrosion-induced degradation of the property-graded material by predicting the impact of corrosion on the performance of the material during service. This allows tuning of the compositional grading to mitigate corrosion-induced degradation and maximize performance. The invention permits the development of property-graded materials for heat exchangers with different corrosive environments on opposing surfaces (e.g., molten salts\supercritical CO2heat exchangers). Dual material UNS #N1003-UNS #N07208 is a dual corrosion-resistant material with resistance to molten halide salts on one side (UNS #N1003 side) of the wall and oxidizing conditions on the other side (UNS #N07208 side) of the wall. This alloy is a single unified material combining a solid solution strengthened UNS #N1003 and a precipitation (gamma prime) strengthened UNS #N07208.

The invention as shown in the drawings and described in detail herein disclose arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present invention. It is to be understood however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described may be employed in accordance with the spirit of the invention, and such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.