Abstract
The amount, type and distribution of non-metallic inclusions as well as the solidification segregation, which influences inclusion type and distribution, have great influence on the performance of High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steels used in sour service in the oil industry. The effects of manganese, both on segregation and on steel cleanness have been studied through experiments and, to a lesser extent, through mathematical modeling of solidification. However, the effect of some other relevant elements added to these steels, in special those effects caused by solidification segregation, have not been extensively studied. In the present work, the extent of segregation and the probable effect on inclusion distribution of the main elements in HSLA steels used in sour service are evaluated through different computational thermodynamic models. In particular, two limiting cases bound the comparison: equilibrium solidification and the Scheil model, in which no homogenization in the solid phase is assumed. Special attention is given to silicon. For relevant compositions, models considering solid and liquid state diffusion are used. The results are compared with experimental data available for some steel compositions and serve as basis for a first evaluation of the alloy design strategy currently applied to these steels, from the point of view of segregation and internal cleanness
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