High-Temperature Steam Oxidation Behavior of Fe22Cr5Al3Mo-xY Alloy Under Simulated LOCA Condition
SUN Rongrong1, YAO Meiyi1(), WANG Haoyu1, ZHANG Wenhuai1, HU Lijuan1, QIU Yunlong2, LIN Xiaodong1, XIE Yaoping1, YANG Jian3, DONG Jianxin4, CHENG Guoguang5
1Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China 2Zhongxing Energy Equipment Co., Ltd., Haimen 226126, China 3State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China 4School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China 5State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Cite this article:
SUN Rongrong, YAO Meiyi, WANG Haoyu, ZHANG Wenhuai, HU Lijuan, QIU Yunlong, LIN Xiaodong, XIE Yaoping, YANG Jian, DONG Jianxin, CHENG Guoguang. High-Temperature Steam Oxidation Behavior of Fe22Cr5Al3Mo-xY Alloy Under Simulated LOCA Condition. Acta Metall Sin, 2023, 59(7): 915-925.
An increased temperature causes the breakaway oxidation of zirconium alloys and the loss of structural integrity under the loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Thus, to enhance the inherent safety of nuclear reactors, the idea of developing accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) is proposed. One of the promising candidate materials for ATF cladding is FeCrAl alloy. The theoretical basis and guidance for FeCrAl alloy's composition optimization can be obtained by investigating the effects of alloying elements on the oxidation behavior and mechanism. Thus, the effect of Y on the oxidation behavior of Fe22Cr5Al3Mo alloy in 1000 and 1200oC high-temperature steam was investigated in this study. Two types of Fe22Cr5Al3Mo-xY (x = 0, 0.15, mass fraction, %) alloys, denoted as 0Y and 0.15Y, respectively, were fabricated and oxidized in 1000 and 1200oC high-temperature steam for 2 h, employing a simultaneous thermal analyzer. The microstructure, crystal structure, and composition of the samples before and after oxidation were analyzed using XRD, FIB, EDS, and TEM. The findings indicate that adding 0.15%Y increases the weight gain rate of FeCrAl alloy in 1000oC high-temperature steam, but decreases the weight gain rate of FeCrAl alloy in 1200oC high-temperature steam. Furthermore, adding 0.15%Y can inhibite the formation of ridge morphology on the surface of oxide film and improve the thickness uniformity and interface flatness of oxide film. The oxide films formed on the 0Y and 0.15Y alloys are both α-Al2O3 under the condition of 1000 and 1200oC high-temperature steam for 2 h. In the Al2O3 oxide film, there is hcp-(Cr, Fe)2O3 paralleled to the oxide/metal (O/M) interface. AlYO3, Y2O3, and Fe(Cr, Al)2O4 are present in the Y-rich oxides growing toward the matrix in 0.15Y alloy oxidized in 1200oC steam. The effect of Y on the oxidation behavior of FeCrAl alloy at various temperatures was discussed from the viewpoint of the influence of Y on the microstructure evolution of oxide film.
Fig.2 Oxidation kinetics curves of 0Y and 0.15Y alloys oxidized in 1000 and 1200oC steam for 2 h
Alloy
1000oC
1200oC
0Y
0.05
1.54
0.15Y
0.26
0.59
Table 2 Parabolic rate constants of 0Y and 0.15Y alloys oxidized in 1000 and 1200oC steam for 2 h
Fig.3 SEM images of surface morphologies of oxide films formed on 0Y (a, b) and 0.15Y (c, d) alloys oxidized in 1000oC (a, c) and 1200oC (b, d) steam for 2 h (The elliptic regions in Figs.3c and d stand for the granular oxide and the angular oxide, respectively)
Fig.4 High-angle annular dark field (HAADF) images of the cross-sectional oxide films formed on the 0Y (a, b) and 0.15Y (c, d) alloys oxidized in 1000oC (a, c) and 1200oC (b, d) steam for 2 h (the positions of dotted line in Fig.3) (Region indicated by arrow in Fig.4c stands for pores, the area of D1 in Fig.4d stands for the HAADF image of the cross-sectional angular oxide in Fig.3d)
Fig.5 HAADF images and corresponding EDS mapping of cross-sectional oxide films formed on 0Y (a, b) and 0.15Y (c, d) alloys oxidized in 1000oC (a, c) and 1200oC (b, d) steam for 2 h
Fig.6 EDS line scanning corresponding to line 1 in Fig.5a
Fig.7 TEM images, selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and fast Fourier transformation (FFT) patterns (insets) of different areas in the cross-sectional oxide films formed on 0.15Y alloy oxidized in 1000oC (a, b) and 1200oC (c-e) steam for 2 h (hcp—hexagonal close packed, o—orthorhombic, bcc—body centered cubic, fcc—face centered cubic)
Fig.8 Schematics of oxidation process of FeCrAl alloys in high-temperature steam (a) Fe x O y is preferentially formed on the alloy surface (b) the mixed oxide region of Cr and Al is formed (c) Cr2O3 formed at the interface between Fe x O y and the mixed oxide region of Cr and Al, while the Al2O3 formed at the oxide/metal (O/M) interface (d) at high temperature, Cr2O3 converts to CrO3 and evaporates, and Fe x O y reacts with high-temperature steam to produce volatile hydroxide (e) as the oxidation goes on, the γ-Al2O3 transforms into α-Al2O3 (f) the oxide film of FeCrAl alloy is α-Al2O3 under the condition of high-temperature steam
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