Diffusion bonding resistant valve development for sodium service

Unanticipated functional failures occurred in valves undergoing containment integrity testing for liquid sodium service. The failures resulted from diffusion bonding of the Stellite 6B valve plug to the Type 316 stainless steel (SS) seat. As a result of these failures, a valve development program was undertaken. A modified valve incorporating a Tribaloy 800 plug showed significant improvement in resistance to diffusion bonding but still failed after long term exposure in a closed position. A second modified valve using Tribaloy 800 in both the valve plug and seat successfully resisted diffusion bonding failure. This paper reports the details of the testing and posttest valve examinations. The results of scanning electron microscopy, dispersive x-ray spectrometry, and metallography provide the characteristics of the valve failures. Limitations of the various valve designs are also discussed.