Corrosion and Mechanics of Materials
Programs of the Corrosion and Mechanics of Materials Section address specific concerns related to corrosion and the effects of various environments on the mechanical behavior of materials used in several types of energy systems. The research is sponsored by various branches of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that include the Office of Fusion Science, the Office of Fossil Energy, and the Office of Industrial Technologies. In addition, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) supports light water reactor (LWR) research, which includes studies of effects of reactor environments on low-cycle fatigue and crack propagation in reactor structural alloys, irradiation-induced susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking, cladding criteria for high-burnup fuel, air oxidation kinetics for Zr-based alloys, and effects of impurities in helium on scaling and mechanical properties. Highlighted below is our research into aging degradation of light water reactors, corrosion in advanced combustion power systems, design criteria for materials subject to neutron embrittlement in fusion reactors, and metal dusting in various industrial processes.
Applications
Facilities
- Environmentally Assisted Cracking (EAC) Laboratory
- High Temperature Corrosion Test Facilities and High Pressure Test Facilities for Metal Dusting
- Steam Generator Tube Integrity Facilities
- Transmission Electron Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscopes
Publications
In the Spotlight
Allaying Structural-Alloy Corrosion
The
search for ways to conserve energy is leading scientists to explore unexpected
but important avenues, such as technologies that make extensive use of alloys
that are subject to corrosion, which can result in significant energy
inefficiency. Argonne researchers using three U.S. Department of Energy
facilities have developed a new alloy that could save over $1 billion per year
in lost energy for the U.S. hydrogen industry alone…
Read the full story at:
Allaying Structural-Alloy Corrosion - Advanced Photon Source
Highlights (07/30/08) and
Argonne scientists discover networks of metal nanoparticles are
culprits in alloy corrosion New alloy composition could cut
costs for petrochemical industry - Argonne News Releases
(08/04/08)
RELATED PUBLICATION:
Z. Zeng, K. Natesan, Z. Cai, and S.B. Darling, “The role of metal
nanoparticles and nanonetworks in alloy degradation,”
Nat. Mater.
7, 641 (2008).
IN THE PRESS
Coming Back To Nuclear Energy A resurgence of interest in new
power plants is driving discovery of advanced materials
Chemical & Engineering News (Aug. 24, 2009)
Corrosion-resistant alloys add luster to Argonne research - Chicago
Tribune (09/15/08)
Increasing the corrosion-resistance of metal alloys -
Metalworker (10/24/08)
Light Water Reactors
To
continue safe operation of current light water reactors, the aging
degradation of the reactor structures must be adequately understood
and managed. Potential aging mechanisms include fatigue and
environmentally assisted cracking of piping and pressure vessels,
and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking of reactor
internals. Nonsensitized austenitic stainless steels become
susceptible to intergranular failure after accumulation of a
sufficient neutron fluence…
Tell me more about…
Light Water Reactors Research
Follow the link to find out more about our research activities in the field of
Light Water Reactors
Contact:
Engineering Development & Applications
Department
Corrosion
and Mechanics of Materials
Sect. Manager:
K. Natesan
Fax: +1 630-252-3604
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