Steam Generator Grade P91 Steel Components Creep-Assessment Through a Procedure for the Italian Code Application and Comparison With the ECCC Recommendations, American Standard

ASTM A 335-Grade P91 components of steam generators may be critical because of possible steel microstructure changes and/or embrittlement due to the FATT increase during service at high temperature: both phenomena may worsen the material creep behavior globally. Operation temperatures below 600°C such as in the worked case considered herein should be less critical; nevertheless, the worked case plan has included additional controls on microstructure also to have a reference for the future. Present study considers for the worked case steam generator the creep analysis of high-temperature-section (superheater / reheater) two components, outflow tubing and manifold: they may be critical because of the long continued service (110,000 hours or twelve years) and loading conditions (maximum operation temperature and applied stress at the intersection). Aim of the work is to compare life results from the Italian creep code with those predicted by the API 579-1; it also checks compatibility of results from the polynomial models in Italian, ECCC and API 579-1 procedures. Life results based on the Italian-code polynomial function are consistent with those based on the polynomial function proposed in ECCC: With preliminary stresses from pressure formulas, life estimates are a bit more conservative than the ECCC model’s. Finally, life results obtained through the API 579-1 Level 3 assessment appear consistent with those predicted by the Italian creep code, ECCC recommendations application.