Corrosion of Fe-Cr-Mn alloys in thermally convective lithium

A series of austenitic Fe-Cr-Mn steels was exposed to circulating lithium at temperatures up to 500/sup 0/C. Two groups of the alloys, which contained 12 to 30 wt % Mn and 2 to 20 wt % Cr, were sequentially exposed for periods greater than 3000 h in a type 316 stainless steel thermal convection loop. Mass transfer of manganese caused very large weight losses from the steels containing 30 wt % Mn. However, the actual magnitude of corrosion losses for alloys containing 12 to 20 wt % Mn was difficult to establish due to competing surface reactions involving chromium

Elevated temperature static fatigue of a Nicalon fiber-reinforced SiC composite

Static fatigue tests of a Nicalon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composite were conducted in four-point bending over a temperature range of 425 to 1,150 C in air at selected stress levels. The composite consisted of a Nicalon cloth with a 0.3 {mu}m graphite interfacial coating and a Forced Chemical Vapor Infiltration (FCVI) SiC matrix composite; samples were tested with or without a final protective SiC seal coat. The results indicated that the fatigue life of the Nicalon-SiC composite decreased with an increase in either applied stresses or test temperatures. However, the composite exhibited a fatigue limit of {approximately} 100 MPa at temperatures < 950 C which decreased to {approximately} 70 MPa at 1,150 C. Both electron microscopy and thermogravimetric studies suggested that the lifetime of the composites was dictated by the oxidation of graphite interfacial layer at temperatures {le} 700 C and by oxidation of graphite coating accompanied by formation of silicate interfacial layer via oxidation of the Nicalon fiber (and the SiC matrix) at temperatures {ge} 950 C. Use of a SiC seal coat effectively retarded the oxidation reactions and increased the lifetime by at least one order of magnitude at 425 C. On the other hand, the SiC seal coat made little (if any) difference in fatigue life at 950 C

The effect of various oxide dispersions on the oxidation resistance of Fe{sub 3}Al

Oxide-dispersed Fe-28at.%Al-2%Cr alloys were produced by a powder metallurgy technique followed by hot extrusion. Yttria and ceria were added to the base alloy to assess the effect of these dopants on the oxidation behavior. The amount of dopant was varied from 0.05-0.5 at.% Y in a series of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-dispersed alloys. isothermal and cyclic oxidation testing was conducted at temperatures from 800{degrees} to 1300{degrees}C. A CeO{sub 2} addition was detrimental to the oxidation behavior. The Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} improved the {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scale adhesion relative to an undoped alloy, but was not as effective as similar additions to an oxide-dispersed FeCrAl alloy

Development of Improved Iron-Aluminide Filter Tubes and Elements

The purpose of this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was to explore and develop advanced manufacturing techniques to fabricate sintered iron-aluminide intermetallic porous bodies used for gas filtration so as to reduce production costs while maintaining or improving performance in advanced coal gasification and combustion systems. The use of a power turbine fired with coal-derived synthesis gas requires some form of gas cleaning in order to protect turbine and downstream components from degradation by erosion, corrosion, and/or deposition. Hot-gas filtration is one form of cleaning that offers the ability to remove particles from the gases produced by gasification processes without having to substantially cool and, possibly, reheat them before their introduction into the turbine. This technology depends critically on materials durability and reliability, which have been the subject of study for a number of years

Cost-Effective Surface Modification for Metallic Bipolar Plates

Presented at the 2006 DOE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program Annual Merit Review in Washington, D.C., May 16-19, 2006

High Temperature Corrosion Behavior of Iron Aluminide Alloys and Coatings

A multi-year effort has been focused on optimizing the long-term oxidation performance of ingot-processed (IP) and oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) Fe{sub 3}Al and iron aluminide-based coatings. Based on results from several composition iterations, a Hf-doped alloy (Fe-28Al-2Cr-0.05at.%Hf) has been developed with significantly better high temperature oxidation resistance than other iron aluminides. The scale adhesion is not significantly better; however, the {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scale grows at a slower rate, approximately a factor of 10 less than undoped iron aluminide. The benefit of Hf is greatest at 1100-1200 C. Long-term oxidation resistance of commercially fabricated ODS Fe{sub 3}Al has been determined and compared to commercially available ODS FeCrAl. Scale spallation rates for ODS Fe{sub 3}Al are higher than for ODS FeCrAl. To complement studies of iron-aluminide weld-overlay coatings, carbon steel was coated with Fe-Al-Cr by thermal spraying. These specimens were then exposed in air at 900 and 1000 C and in air-1%SO{sub 2} at 800 C. Most likely due to an inadequate aluminum concentration in the coatings, continuous protective Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} could not be maintained and, consequently, the corrosion performance was significantly worse than what is normally observed for Fe{sub 3}Al

Ultrahigh temperature intermetallic alloys

A new family of Cr-Cr{sub 2}Ta intermetallic alloys based on Cr-(6--10)Ta (at.%) is under development for structural use in oxidizing environments in the 1,000-1,300 C (1,832--2,372 F) temperature range. Development objectives relate to high temperature strength and oxidation resistance and room temperature fracture toughness. The 1,200 C (2,192 F) strength goals have been met: yield and fracture strengths of 275 MPa (40 ksi) and 345 MPa (50 ksi), respectively, were achieved. Progress in attaining reasonable fracture toughness of Cr-Cr{sub 2}Ta alloys has been made; current alloys exhibit room-temperature values of about 10--12 MPa{radical}m (1.1 MPa{radical}m = 1 ksi{radical}in.). Oxidation rates of these alloys at 950 C (1,742 F) in air are in the range of those reported for chromia-forming alloys. At 1,100 C (2,012 F) in air, chromia volatility was significant but, nevertheless, no scale spallation and positive weight gains of 1--5 mg/cm{sup 2} have been observed during 120-h, 6-cycle oxidation screening tests. These mechanical and oxidative properties represent substantial improvement over Cr-Cr{sub 2}Nb and Cr-Cr{sub 2}Zr alloys previously developed

Moonlighting Newborn Screening Markers: The Incidental Discovery of a Second-Tier Test for Pompe Disease

Purpose: To describe a novel biochemical marker in dried blood spots suitable to improve the specificity of newborn screening for Pompe disease. Methods: The new marker is a ratio calculated between the creatine/creatinine (Cre/Crn) ratio as the numerator and the activity of acid α-glucosidase (GAA) as the denominator. Using Collaborative Laboratory Integrated Reports (CLIR), the new marker was incorporated in a dual scatter plot that can achieve almost complete segregation between Pompe disease and false-positive cases. Results: The (Cre/Crn)/GAA ratio was measured in residual dried blood spots of five Pompe cases and was found to be elevated (range 4.41–13.26; 99%ile of neonatal controls: 1.10). Verification was by analysis of 39 blinded specimens that included 10 controls, 24 samples with a definitive classification (16 Pompe, 8 false positives), and 5 with genotypes of uncertain significance. The CLIR tool showed 100% concordance of classification for the 24 known cases. Of the remaining five cases, three p.V222M homozygotes, a benign variant, were classified by CLIR as false positives; two with genotypes of unknown significance, one likely informative, were categorized as Pompe disease. Conclusion: The CLIR tool inclusive of the new ratio could have prevented at least 12 of 13 (92%) false-positive outcomes

The PAU Survey: a new constraint on galaxy formation models using the observed colour redshift relation

We use the GALFORM semi-analytical galaxy formation model implemented in the Planck Millennium N-body simulation to build a mock galaxy catalogue on an observer’s past lightcone. The mass resolution of this N-body simulation is almost an order of magnitude better than in previous simulations used for this purpose, allowing us to probe fainter galaxies and hence build a more complete mock catalogue at low redshifts. The high time cadence of the simulation outputs allows us to make improved calculations of galaxy properties and positions in the mock. We test the predictions of the mock against the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey, a narrow-band imaging survey with highly accurate and precise photometric redshifts, which probes the galaxy population over a lookback time of 8 billion years. We compare the model against the observed number counts, redshift distribution, and evolution of the observed colours and find good agreement; these statistics avoid the need for model-dependent processing of the observations. The model produces red and blue populations that have similar median colours to the observations. However, the bimodality of galaxy colours in the model is stronger than in the observations. This bimodality is reduced on including a simple model for errors in the GALFORM photometry. We examine how the model predictions for the observed galaxy colours change when perturbing key model parameters. This exercise shows that the median colours and relative abundance of red and blue galaxies provide constraints on the strength of the feedback driven by supernovae used in the model

The PAU Survey: a new constraint on galaxy formation models using the observed colour redshift relation

We use the GALFORM semi-analytical galaxy formation model implemented in the Planck Millennium N-body simulation to build a mock galaxy catalogue on an observer's past lightcone. The mass resolution of this N-body simulation is almost an order of magnitude better than in previous simulations used for this purpose, allowing us to probe fainter galaxies and hence build a more complete mock catalogue at low redshifts. The high time cadence of the simulation outputs allows us to make improved calculations of galaxy properties and positions in the mock. We test the predictions of the mock against the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey, a narrow band imaging survey with highly accurate and precise photometric redshifts, which probes the galaxy population over a lookback time of 8 billion years. We compare the model against the observed number counts, redshift distribution and evolution of the observed colours and find good agreement; these statistics avoid the need for model-dependent processing of the observations. The model produces red and blue populations that have similar median colours to the observations. However, the bimodality of galaxy colours in the model is stronger than in the observations. This bimodality is reduced on including a simple model for errors in the GALFORM photometry. We examine how the model predictions for the observed galaxy colours change when perturbing key model parameters. This exercise shows that the median colours and relative abundance of red and blue galaxies provide constraints on the strength of the feedback driven by supernovae used in the model