Material selection consideration for reactors

a) Applicability
i.
ii.
iii.

Mechanical environment: Stress(Load) History, Strain History, Normal,

Transient, Accident.
Chemical (Electrochemical) Environment.
Thermal environment.

b) Suitability
i.
ii.

Qualification for the use of the use of material on the environment.

The existence of material in the ASME Code.

c) Availability
i.
ii.
iii.

Availability of material.
Reliable source.
Cost of the material.

d) Fabricability
i.
ii.
iii.

Thermomechanical processing.
Ability to be fabricated from material.
Quality assurance and quality control.

e) Economics
i.
f)

The current cost of the material and expected cost.

Compromise

The best material for the construction of the reactor is a high alloy stainless steel.
Cast iron is not a particularly strong or tough structural material according
to Perrys Chemical Engineering Handbook 2 page 28-29 and is not suitable for the
conditions in the reactor because the reactor operates at 375 psia and 435 oF.
Carbon steel can not be used because according to Table 12-2 in Plant Design and
Economics for Chemical Engineers1, hydrogen is not compatible with carbon steel.
Several other alloys such as a nickel-based alloy could be used for the materials and
conditions, but would not be the most economic materials. High-alloy stainless
steel is the best material for construction of the reactor

The stainless steel

Stainless stell is a low carbon steel that consists of chromium at 10% or more
by weight. Through the addition of this chromium that makes the stainless

steel to has a characteristic of corrosion resistance. There are so many type

of stainless stell as such there are about 60 grades of it and the entire grouo
can divided into five classes. The stainless steel is classifies and also can be
identifie by their own alloying elemeng. This also a way that each different
type of stainless steel has been named.

Benefits of stainless steel

i.

Corrosion resistance
The stainless steel has resistance towards atmospheric and oure water
environment especially in the lower alloy grade. It also has a high
resistance towards wide range of environments and temperatures. Ion
any problem of the reactor operational environment there will no
presence of inter-granular corrosion or inter-granular stress.( Folkhard,
E. 1987 )

ii. Fire and heat resistance

The stainless steel structure can be expected to behold their intergrity
after such a long period pf exposure to the highest temperature
reached in hydrocarbon fires. For example, the galvanized mild steel
able to withstand fire for useful time.
http://www.nickelinstitute.org/~/Media/Files/TechnicalLiterature/Stainle
ssSteelforDurability_Fire_ResistanceandSafety_10042_.pdf
iii. Hygiene
It is easy to clean the stainless steel.
iv. Strength-to-weight advantage
There is significant strengthening of the material from cold-working
alone and the high strength duplex grades which enable the material
thickness to be reduced over conventional grades and hence reducing
the cost and make it more cost saving.

Properties of stainless steel

Stainless steel can be defined as a ferrous alloy. It has a minimum of 10% of
chromium content. As the name says, stainless steel does not stain and as
mention before it is resistance towards corrosion. It also has a remarkable
resistance to rusting or oxidation or even to any natural nor man made
environments.

Commercial value of stainless steel

The stainless steel particularly has low maintenance and also relatively not
so expensive material. It is also resistance to corrosion and staining also
familiar luster that makes it to be an ideal based material for host of
commercial application. It is also somehow an eco-friendly material since
about 50% of new stainless steel is made up of re-melted scrap metal.

High Alloy Stainless Steel

High alloy stainless steel are those stell which alloy were added in a large
quantities to improve the material characteristics. These materials are heat
treated in order to further enhance the mechanical properties and
microstructure. It is carried out by tempering, normalizing, quenching or
solutionising. This high alloy stainless steel has a high impact resistance as
well as corrosion resistance.
The typical application of this material are:
i.

Pump component - corrosion resistance

ii. Impellers - corrosion resistance

iii. Crusher jaws - impact hardening.

Steel
Steel is made up mainly from an iron with a carbon content of 0.2% to 2.1%
by weight. The production of steel are fro, carbon and other alloying metal
such as tungsten, chromium, and manganese. The properties of the steel
that is produces are affected by the proportions and forms in which these
elements are used.

Properties of steel
1. Tensile strength
The tensile strength which means the amount of stress that a
substance can take before it structurally deformed. For steel, the
tensile strength is comparatively high and thus it has a high fracture
resistance and breakage. This can be a key point for a structural
building.
2. Ductility

The ability to change shape without fracture for steel is quite

significant. The ductility of steel enables it to be used in making
different shapes and structures.
3. Malleability
Closely related to previous characteristic, steel has a good malleability
which allows it to deformed under compression. This characteristics
enable steel to be compressed into sheets of variable thickness.
4. Durability
The hardness of steel is high. Other than that it also long lasting and
has great resistance towards external wear and tear.
5. Conductivity
Good conductor of electricity and also heat.
6. Rust resistance
The steel resistant to rusting is affected by the addition of certain
element.
Steel has a great formability and durability. Other than that it also has a good
tensile and yield strentgth and also a good thermal conductivity.
Furthermore, steel also has a high resistance towards corrosion.
References:

http://www.tatasteelconstruction.com/en/reference/teachingresources/architectural-teaching-resource/history/the-history-of-iron-and-steel/theproperties-of-cast-iron-wrought-iron-and-steel

Aluminium
The principal ore of aluminium is bauxite which is produced by the
weathering of the aluminium silicate rocks. Aluminium has a characteristics
of soft and lightweight. It is also a low strength metal and can easily be cast,
forged and machined, formed, and welded. It is suitable only in low
temperature applications. This can be excepted when it is alloyed with
specific elements.
Aluminium can be used as a deoxidizer and also can act as a alloying agent.
For example, torque converter pump housings, aircraft structures, electrical
transmission lines are made of aluminium. Aluminium has a limitation that it
should be used at a low temperatures application.

Cast iron
Cast iron is an alloy of iron and carbon. It has good compressive strength but
relatively poor tensile strength. Because of the impurities in cast iron and its
crystalline structure, although it is a strong material in compression, it is
weak in tension and is very brittle. As a result when it failed it did so in an
explosive manner with little warning.
The casting process enables the production of complex shapes. Because it is
produced by casting, for example it is made by pouring into a mould, thus it
is well suited to the production of intricate shapes, both structural and
decorative. For structural use, cast iron was best suited to elements where
the predominant load caused compression; and so was most commonly used
for columns.
It cannot be forged. Cast iron is worked by melting to a liquid and pouring in
molds, then by sawing, filing, machining (chip making methods). The
stiffness and dampening properties of cast iron make it an excellent material
for machine tool frames and parts.

Brittleness
Cast iron is very brittle. The relatively high carbon content which is within 2
to 5 percent which means that the formation of cast iron is that it is hardens
with a crystalline structure that breaks easily. It also cannot be wrought that
means it cannot be beaten into different forms even though when heated.

Tensile strength
The tensile strength is the measure for how much the pulling strain within a
material can withstand. As for the cast iron, the tensile strength is low.

Compression strength
This generally means that the measure of the amount of pressure that the
material can take before it fails. For cast iron, the compression strength is
high. Thus, this make the cast iron useful for construction.

Corrosion Resistance
The cast iron has a very low resistance towards corrosion. When first
manufactured it has a protective film on the surface, which initially increases
its resistance to corrosion. This film cannot be relied upon in the long term,
however. When exposed to air and moisture cast iron rapidly oxidizes (reacts
with oxygen in the air), producing the familiar red-brown iron oxide known as

rust.
References:
http://www.ehow.com/list_7622626_characteristics-cast-iron.html

http://www.gcsescience.com/ex22.htm