Survey of degradation modes of four nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloys

This report examines the degradation modes of four Ni-Cr-Mo alloys under conditions relevant to the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). The materials considered are Alloys C-276, C-4, C-22, and 625 because they have desirable characteristics for the conceptual design (CD) of the high-level radioactive-waste containers presented in the YMP Site Characterization Plan (SCP). The types of degradation covered in this report are general corrosion; localized corrosion, including pitting and crevice corrosion; stress corrosion cracking in chloride environments; hydrogen embrittlement (HE); and undesirable phase transformations due to a lack of phase stability. Topics not specifically addressed are welding concerns and microbiological corrosion. The four Ni-Cr-Mo alloys have excellent corrosion resistance in chloride environments such as seawater as well as in more aggressive environments. They have significantly better corrosion resistance than the six materials considered for the CD waste container in the YMP SCP. (Those six materials are Types 304L and 3161L stainless steels, Alloy 825, unalloyed copper, Cu(70)-Ni(30), and 7% aluminum bronze.) In seawater, the Ni-Cr-Mo alloys have negligible general corrosion rates and show little evidence of localized corrosion. The four base materials of these alloys are expected to have nearly indistinguishable corrosion resistance in the YMP environments. The strength requirements of the SCP-CD waste container are met by these materials in the annealed condition; in this condition, they are highly resistant to HE. Historically, HE has been noted when these materials have been strengthened (cold-worked) and used in sour gas (H{sub 2}S and CO{sub 2}) well service -- conditions that are not expected for the YMP. Metallurgical phase stability may be a concern under conditions favoring (1) the formation of intermetallics and carbides, and (2) microstructural ordering