UNDERSTANDING DAMAGE MECHANISMS IN FERRITIC/MARTENSITIC STEELS

Advanced ferritic/martensitic steels are being used extensively in fossil energy applications. New steels such as 2 1/4Cr-W-V (T23, T24), 3Cr-W-V, 9Cr-Mo-V (T91), 7Cr-W-V, 9Cr-W-V (T92 and T911), and 12Cr-W-V (T122, SAVE 12, and NF12) are examples of tubing being used in boilers and heat recovery steam generators (1). Other products for these new steels include piping, plates, and forgings. There is concern about the high-temperature performance of the advanced steels for several reasons. First, they exhibit a higher sensitivity to temperature than the 300 series stainless steels that they often replace. Second, they tend to be metallurgically unstable and undergo significant degradation at service temperatures in the creep range. Third, the experience base is limited in regard to duration. Fourth, they will be used for thick-section, high-pressure components that require high levels of integrity. To better understand the potential limitations of these steels, damage models are being developed that consider metallurgical factors as well as mechanical performance factors. Grade 91 steel was chosen as representative of these steels for evaluation of cumulative damage models since laboratory and service exposures of grade 91 exceed 100,000 hours