Forming, Welding & Heat Treatment of SS equipment & Components for Nuclear Recycle Plants

Authors

Santosh Takale, Ramakant & D. S. Rana

Nuclear Recycle Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085.

Introduction
Nuclear Recycle Group, involved in
Design & detailed engineering Construction & Operation of Reprocessing & Waste Management Plants.

Material of construction is SS 304L for equipment, Piping & Cladding of Supports :

- Dissolvers - Evaporators - Scrubbers - Conditioners - Process Vessels - Process Columns - Heat Exchangers - De-nitrators - Annular Vessels - Storage Tanks

Operating Conditions
Nitric acid medium Temperature Levels of radioactivity Operating pressure : 0.1-12 M : Ambient to 1200C : up to 250 Ci/lt. (-) 250 mm WC

Special Requirements
Life time integrity Corrosion resistance
Acidic Media ( upto 12 M HNO3 ). Presence of corrosion promoters Elevated temperature operations

Operational requirement
Redundancy & alternatives Purge instrumentation Remote sampling Decontamination Passive agitation & liquid transfer (No pumps) The above resulting in 40-60 Nos. of nozzle openings

Formed Components
Components for equipment fabrication are manufactured by cold working process to have smoother surface contours and for minimum weld joints

Dished ends Pipe bends Rolled shell sections

Formed Components
Cooling / Heating coils

Expansion bellows

Conical section/ Toricone

Effect of cold work on SS

Increase in susceptibility to sensitization. Impact on corrosion resistance of the material. To ensure minimum cold work:
KR of 10 % instead of 6% normally followed. Strict tolerance on die, punches & rollers. No, sharp pipe bends (pipe bends >D ) Minimize the cold working by selection of technique.

Alternatives : Imposing limits on surface Hardness. Solution annealing heat treatment.

Considerations in Welding
High thermal expansion in SS Low thermal conductivity of SS Sensitization High residual stresses Demand for low corrosion rates (including HAZ & Weld Pool) Metallurgical cleanliness Controlled - ferrite requirement (4 to 8 FN) Stringent defect acceptance criteria Limitation on repairs.

Welding Techniques
Use of GTAW welding (minimum defects, manual GTAW ) Skip-welding, back-step welding Specially designed fixtures (reduced distortion, residual stresses) Use of low current & voltage to have controlled heat input IGC & Ferrite controlled welding filler wire Use of high purity argon gas (Shielding, Back purging) Use of HF units Qualified welders; qualification based on ASME Section IX criteria & corrosion/delta ferrite limits Full penetration welds (back chipped & seal welded), inside weld joints finished smooth

Aspects in Welding
Solution heat treatment resorted to wherever possible. Delta ferrite content measurements. Correct fit-ups. Orientation of manpower by performing multiple mock-ups. High purity Argon gas (>99.995%). Joint configurations to avoid crevices. Use of hollow bars nozzles.

Full Back-side Purging

Back-side Seal Weld

Hollow Bar Nozzles

Heat Treatment
Solution heat treatment of ASS is intended to:
getting alloying elements back to the solid solution in their free form nullify the effect of cold working and residual stress reduction

To overcome the above detrimental effects, heat treatment process is employed. However, the process should be such that it does not itself induce ill effects. The following procedure is found to provide acceptable results:
Loading Temperature Rate of Heating Soaking Temperature Soaking Time : : : : 150 oC 200 oC 150 oC/hr. above 300 oC 1050 oC + 10 oC minimum 30 minutes (1 hr. per inch of thk)

Special Requirement : After soaking, the dished ends & formed components is immediately quenched in adequate water within 90 seconds.

Heat treatment
Calibrated Thermocouples of Nickel-Chromium / NickelAluminum of K type. Minimum 6 thermocouples per charge. Components placed on appropriate SS fixture and kept minimum 300 mm above the refractory bricks. Quench volume approx. 200 times job volume. Additional arrangement for water cooling and circulation. Placement arrangement to be as per approved sketch. Documents consist of Approved procedure, Heat treatment specification, Calibration certificate of temperature recorder and thermocouple, recorded Time-Temperature chart Chloride check on water (not to exceed permissible limit) Sulphur content for LSHS oil (not to exceed permissible limit)

Cleanliness & Contamination Checks

Uniform surface contour
Inside flush / merged with parent material Outside smooth

Ensured pre & post cleaning Passivation of all surfaces. Care for cross contamination at any stages. Contamination checks:
Iron Contamination Check Chloride Contamination Check

How important the cleanliness is?

(Initiation of corrosion due to use of CS contaminated grinding wheel around the weld area)

How important the cleanliness is?

(Initiation of corrosion due to contamination)

Effect of wrong procedure

(Equipment failure even before use because of improper repair procedure)

Stringent Quality Control

Systematic quality assurance program during: - Design - Fabrication (Formimg/welding/Heat treatment) - Material Storage & Handling - Installation Fabrication in accordance to ASME Section III NC/ND. Stringent defect acceptance criteria in NDE.

Conclusion
Considering the end use of the equipment in nuclear recycle plant, special attention to forming, welding & heat treatment is of utmost importance. Orientation of fabricator towards specific fabrication, Heat treatment requirement and its implementation throughout the work execution is the next issue to be handled. Equally critical is extensive mock-up trials for establishing fabrication as well as inspection & test procedures, well before start of work. Cleanliness, contamination control and surface finish remain the central issue to be addressed throughout the fabrication work.

Acknowledgement
To the departmental metallurgists who have guided us in developing the suitable procedure for forming & heat treatment methodology. & To all of our vendors and departmental Quality Assurance Surveyors who have supported us in establishing these procedures.

Thank You
Santosh Takale, Scientific Officer, BARC.
Ph - 0-9967584554. santoshatbarc@gmail.com

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