Abstract
The U.S. Ultra-supercritical (USC) Steam Boiler Consortium, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Ohio Coal Development Office, has been working to develop the necessary materials technology to construct a steam power boiler with maximum steam conditions of 760�C and 35MPa. One large component of this work is to evaluate the properties of the materials chosen for such a boiler.
While long-term creep strength of base metal is initially used to set temperatures, stresses, and simple design rules, it is clear that base metal creep strength is not always the material property of most importance when selecting an alloy. The fabrication issues (typically weldability), the properties of materials after fabrication, the corrosion resistance of the material, and material cost all need to be considered in addition to baseline mechanical properties. Work is ongoing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to evaluate the material technologies being developed by the USC Steam Boiler
Consortium and perform additional advanced research activities in areas where new materials developments and better fundamental understanding are needed to ensure the long-term success of a 760�C power steam boiler.