The Institute of Metal Physics has developed a new technology, which is of utmost importance for the national fast-neutron nuclear power engineering (BN-600 and BN-800 reactors). The technology is designed for production of oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels that exhibit very good high-temperature strength and improved heat resistance to neutron irradiation, which makes these steels promising for application as fuel element casings (RF Patent No. 2307183). Oxygen-supersaturated solid solution is formed by mechanical alloying, and unstable iron oxides are used instead of sparingly soluble yttrium oxides with a high interatomic bond energy. As compared with the ChS-68 steel currently used in BN-600 reactors, the new ODS steel exhibits the creep rate that is slower by a factor of ten (at a temperature of 7500C and stresses of 120–260 MPa).
The new technology has the following advantages: a lower degree and a shorter duration of deformation required for oxide dissolution; reduced uncontrolled alloying during deformation; enhanced durability of tools; and lower energy consumption.
