Design of martensitic/ferritic heat-resistant steels for application at 650 °C with supporting thermodynamic modelling

In view of developing novel heat-resisting steels for applications in conventional power plants with service temperatures of 650 °C, a series of martensitic/ferritic model steels with 12 wt.%Cr were studied to achieve an increased creep resistance through additional alloying with various elements for controlled precipitation of M23C6 carbides, MX carbonitrides and intermetallic Laves phase. The alloy design relied on thermodynamic simulation calculations using Thermo-Calc and DICTRA. The mechanical testing concentrated on creep at 650 °C for up to 8000 h. The alloy optimization resulted in creep rupture strengths above those of the martensitic/ferritic P92 steel. The work was part of a cooperative project within the German MARCKO program.