Operating experience with the heat-resistant material 15 NiCuMoNb 5 in conventional power plants

The forerunners of the material 15 NiCuMoNb 5 (WB 36), known as CuNi steels for boiler drums, allowed operating pressures to exceed 100 bar for the first time in the 30s, thereby creating the basis for power station to achieve high performance and efficiency levels. Even present day steel developments for the thick walled components used in nuclear technology have almost reached the level of this steel with regard to the high temperature limit of elasticity as a design value up to temperatures of 400 C, but have not exceeded it. In the mid-60s, extensive investigations were carried out into these materials following a few spectacular cases of serious damage, basically manifesting themselves in two ways: as cracks in the area of the downpipe bores and brittle fractures revealed by pressure testing. The cracks were recognized as stress/strain-induced corrosion and this was counteracted internally by improving the quality of the water, particularly with regard to its oxygen content. The inadequate toughness characteristics, responsible for the fractures occurring during the pressure test, were improved by specific alloying measures and in particular by reducing the sulphur content. Particular attention was paid to welding work. Reporting on operating experience means reporting the resultsmore » of investigations into damage to components made from heat-resistant materials and providing a critical evaluation. A few examples are summarized below for this purpose. Some are current examples and others go back a few years, but are still the subject of discussion in the sector because of the fundamental knowledge to be gained from them.« less