If there is one industry which is promulgated with vast numbers of safety norms, it must be the nuclear industry. Large quantities of sub products and toxic wastes are being produced in nuclear and power industries every year. The wastes produced can pose a serious threat to the environment and human life alike. Managing and setting precautions for such dangers becomes indispensable.
Stainless steels are widely used in these industries for the purpose that highly uncertain conditions and chemical environments are exposed to the system. Grades with high resistance to corrosion and chemical exposures are required. Nuclear power plants, fuel reprocessing and waste management plants typically use grade 300 and 400 series alloys. After proper selection of the grades, specific modifications are made to the grades and the new and improved compounds are termed as the Nuclear grades. Stainless steels with proper service times are used in the nuclear reactors.
The processes are carefully carried out by avoiding inter-granular corrosion cracking and low-temperature sensitization that happen at the heat affected zones. Grade 316NG (Nuclear grade) is used for this purpose. Nickel alloys are also used widely in the nuclear power plant components like reactor vessels, nuclear fusion chambers, heat transfer and cooling systems and containers. High level of integrity, stability as well as longer performance is required in all the grades that are used in the nuclear and power industry.