Stellite 6 Friction Changes Due to Aging and In-Service Testing

For the past several years, researchers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have been investigating the ability of motor-operated valves to close or open when subjected to design basis flow and pressure loads. Part of this research addresses the friction that occurs at the interface between the valve disc and the valve body seats during operation of a gate valve. In most gate valves, these surfaces are hardfaced with Stellite 6, a cobalt-based alloy. The nuclear industry has developed methods to analytically predict the thrust needed to operate these valves at specific pressure conditions. To produce accurate valve thrust predictions; the analyst must have a reasonably accurate, though conservative, estimate of the coefficient of friction at the disc-to-seat interface. One of the questions that remains to be answered is whether, and to what extent, aging of the disc and seat surfaces affects the disc-to-seat coefficient of friction. Specifically, does the accumulation of a surface film due to aging of these surfaces increase the coefficient of friction and if so, how much? This paper presents results of specimen tests addressing this issue with emphasis on the following: • The change more » in the friction coefficient of Stellite 6 as it ages and whether the friction reaches a plateau. • The effect periodic gate valve cycling due to in-service testing has on the friction coefficient. • The results of an independent review of the test methods, processes, and the results of the research to date. • The status of ongoing aging and friction testing. « less