Corrosion properties of oxide dispersion strengthened steels in super-critical water environment

The effects of alloying elements on corrosion resistance in super critical pressurized water (SCPW) have been investigated to develop corrosion resistant oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels. Corrosion tests were performed in a SCPW (783 K, 25 MPa) environment. Weight gain was measured after exposure to the SCPW. For the improvement of corrosion-resistance, the effects of chromium, aluminum, and yttrium on the corrosion behavior were investigated. The 9–12 wt%Cr ODS steels showed almost similar corrosion behavior with the ordinary ferritic/martensitic steel in the SCPW. However, the addition of high chromium (>13 wt%) and aluminum (4.5 wt%) are very effective to suppress the corrosion in the SCPW. Anodic polarization experiments revealed that the passive current of the ODS steels are lower than the ordinary ferritic/martensitic steels. Addition of aluminum improves the Charpy impact property of the ODS steels.