Precipitation Behavior of Ni-Based Superalloy Alloy 625 for A-USC Power Plants

Abstract

The age-hardening behavior of the wrought Ni-based superalloy Alloy 625 was investigated in the temperature range between 923 and 1173 K for the application to advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) power plants. The carbon content of the alloy was controlled as low as possible to minimize the precipitation of carbides during aging. A two-step increase of hardness was detected for the alloy at temperatures between 1000 and 1100 K; the first increase of hardness results from the precipitation of the metastable γ′′ phase, and the second increase corresponds to the precipitation of the orthorhombic δ phase. In contrast, a single-step increase of hardness was detected below 1000 K derived from the precipitation of γ′′ phase and above 1100 K derived from the precipitation of δ phase. The TTP (time–temperature–precipitation) diagram for the alloy was established on the basis of the results of hardness measurements and microstructure observations, where the nose temperatures of γ′′ and δ phases are determined as 1050 and 1123 K, respectively. The γ′′ particle coarsened along the Ostwald ripening. The activation energy for the γ′′ coarsening was evaluated as 202 kJ/mol, which is very close to that for the inter-diffusion of Nb in Ni.