Investigations of a type 316L steam dryer plate material suffering from IGSCC after few years in BWRs

A steam dryer plate material suffered from intergranular stress corrosion cracking after only one and two years of operation in two BWR plants. Numerous indications were observed on the inner roof plates of the steam dryers adjacent to the support beam welds. The material was Type 316L austenitic stainless steel with carbon content below 0.02%. The material was subjected to detailed investigations using optical microscopy, EBSD/SEM, TEM, hardness and nano-indentation. The material showed macro-segregation through the plate thickness. These bands coincided with the location of delta-ferrite islands indicating non-optimal solution heat treatment. α'-martensite was observed deep in the plate indicating cold deformation after solution annealing. A nonhomogeneous distribution of grain orientation was also observed through the plate thickness. Further, surface deformation, although not extending very deep, was observed using EBSD and surface hardness values above 300 HV when measured using small loads. Although the material fulfills the set requirements, the material characteristics have obviously increased the susceptibility of the material to IGSCC. The paper will discuss the possible role of changes in manufacturing over the years and the challenges in quality definitions in material specifications. (authors)