Manufacturing Science and Technology 3(4): 155-159, 2015
org
DOI: 10.13189/mst.2015.030413
Investigation of Micro-structure and Creep Life Analysis
of Centrifugally Cast Fe–Cr–Ni Alloy Reformer Tubes
Amitava Ghatak*, P.S. Robi
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India
Copyright © 2015 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the
terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
Abstract Reformer furnace tubes are designed for
exposure to high temperatures and pressures for prolonged
time. HP grade steels which are cast austenitic Fe–Cr–Ni
alloys are used as reformer tubes for service temperatures in
the range of 950°C to 1000°C. This paper reports an
investigation on the results of analysis of service exposed
HP40Nb steel micro-alloyed with Ti. Microstructural
investigation of the service exposed tube revealed carbides
rich in Cr, Nb and Ti at grain boundary regions which are
typical features of the cast material. No evidence of creep
deformation was observed in this material indicating absence
of degradation in structure and properties. Accelerated stress
rupture tests at temperatures in the range of 850°C - 1050°C
and stress in the range of 47 MPa - 80 MPa on samples
machined from tubes exposed for 11 years at 650°C was
carried out to assess the life of the tube for various
combinations of temperature and stress by Larson-Miller
parameter. Observation of the fractured samples after
accelerated stress rupture tests revealed nucleation and
growth of voids at Cr rich phases as the main mechanism of
damage at elevated temperatures. This paper also discusses
the need for using the Larson-Miller constant (CL-M) as a
function of stress rather than considering it as a constant
value.
Keywords Reformer Tube, HP40Nb, Larson-Miller
Parameter, Stress Rupture Test
1. Introduction
Reformer tubes are widely used in petroleum and
chemical industries for production of hydrogen from natural
gas [1,2,3]. Reformer tubes are typically made of
centrifugally cast microalloyed HP40Nb heat resistant alloys.
At higher temperatures and stresses, high Cr and Ni content
in the alloy facilitate corrosion resistance and creep
resistance respectively [4]. Design engineers found that these
tubes made of HP40Nb microalloyed steel can work fora
long period of service life at temperatures up to 1000˚C and
internal pressures of 25-27.5 bar.
The degradation of microstructure and properties during
service many a times results in premature failure of these
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tubes. This results in forced shutdown of the plant
accompanied by severe economic loss. In the recent years,
remaining life assessment of the materials has been
considered as an important factor by design engineers for the
safety of these tubes. Various creep rupture techniques, such
as Larson-Miller method [5], Orr-Sherby-Dorn method [6],
Manson-Haferd method [7], Manson-Succop method [8]
have been suggested by researchers to assess the remaining
life of a material. These techniques represent the master
curves which involve stress (σ), temperature (T) and rupture
time (tR). Among these parametric techniques, Larson-Miller
parameter (PL-M) is the most commonly used method to
determine creep life [9,10,11,12,13]. PL-M is expressed by the
relationship:
PL-M (σ) = T (log(tR) + CL-M)× 10-3 (1)
where CL-M is the Larson-Miller constant. The CL-M value is
obtained as the intersecting point of iso-stress lines on log(tR)
axis of log(tR) vs. (1/T) plot. It is observed that in most of the
cases, the value of CL-M is considered as a constant. Feng et al.
proposed a Z-parameter which represents the degree of the
deviation to the master curve due to scattered experimental
data [14]. CL-M depends on the chemical composition, initial
microstructure, grain size [15] and cold-work [16] imparted.
The scatter of experimental data from master curve may be
due to CL-M value which leads to the assumption of a constant
significant value for the prediction of life of the component.
The present investigation aims to study the
microstructural degradation and assess remaining life of
microalloyed HP40Nb austenitic stainless steel reformer
tube material. In this study, the authors have attempted to
find a method to reduce the scatter of experimental data from
master curve by considering CL-M as a dependent parameter
rather than a constant value.
2. Experimental Procedure
The material for the investigation was centrifugally cast
reformer tube obtained from Numaligarh Refineries Limited,
India having inside diameter of 106 mm and thickness 15.3
mm. The supplied tube was service exposed to 650˚C for 11
years. The composition of the alloy analyzed by optical
emission spectrometer was found to be 0.4 C, 1.3 Si, 0.037
156 Investigation of Micro-structure and Creep Life Analysis of Centrifugally Cast Fe–Cr–Ni Alloy Reformer Tubes

Mo, 23.6 Cr, 34.9 Ni, 0.8 Nb, 0.037 Ti and balance Fe (in
weight %). Flat tensile creep specimens of 25 mm gauge
length, 6.5 mm width and 3 mm thick as shown in Fig. 1,
were machined from the longitudinal direction of reformer
tube by wire-cut electric discharge machining (EDM).
Constant stress creep tests were carried out at three different
stresses, viz, 47, 68 and 80 MPa, at temperature levels
ranging between 850˚C and 1050˚C. During testing, the
temperature of the specimen was controlled accurately
within ±3˚C. Rupture time of each test was noted for
parametric study of the material.

Figure 2. Optical micrograph of as-received reformer tube.

Figure 1. Specimen geometry for creep rupture tests. All dimensions are
in mm

The longitudinal sections of the failed creep specimens

were machined by wire-cut EDM. The samples were
polished for microstructural investigation following standard
procedure. A solution of 5 ml HNO3, 10 ml HCl and 15 ml
glycerol was used for etching the samples. Metallographic
examinations were performed using upright optical
microscope as well as in a LEO 1430VP model scanning
electron microscope (SEM) in equipped with energy
dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis set up. Figure 3. SEM backscatter electron image of as-received microalloyed
HP40Nb steel with Cr-rich carbide as dark gray (phase-A), Nb-rich carbide
appearing white (phase-B) and Nb-Ti-rich carbide as tiny white precipitates
3. Results and Discussion (phase-C) in an austenitic matrix.

Metallographic Observation
The optical micrograph of the as-received HP40Nb
microalloyed steel is shown in Fig. 2. The microstructure
shows dendritic structure. Network of carbide precipitates at
austenitic grain boundary regions are observed. No evidence
of any microscopic defects was observed during
investigation under microscope. Fig. 3 shows the SEM
image carried out using a back scattered electron detector.
EDX results (Fig. 4) show three different types of carbide
precipitates: Cr-rich carbide (dark gray, phase-A), Nb-rich
carbide (white, phase-B) and Nb-Ti-rich carbide (tiny white, (a)
phase-C) at austenitic grain boundaries.
SEM micrograph of the longitudinal section of the
specimen failed by creep deformation at 850˚C and 47 MPa
stress is shown in Fig. 5. Microstructural observation at low
magnification (Fig. 5(a)) indicates presence of micro void at
grain boundary regions. High magnification (Fig. 5(b))
observation reveals nucleation of micro voids (around 3-8
μm) in the vicinity of carbides at grain boundaries. The
growth of these micro voids along the grain boundary region
is also observed. The microscopic feature reveals the failure
mechanism by nucleation of voids in the vicinity of carbides,
(b)
its subsequent growth and coalescences.
 Manufacturing Science and Technology 3(4): 155-159, 2015
(c)
Figure 4. EDX spectrum of (a) phase A, (b) phase B and (c) phase C.
(a)
(b)
Figure 5. SEM image of the longitudinal section of the gauge length of
specimen crept at 850˚C/47 MPa: (a) low magnification showing
microcracks along the grain boundaries and (b) grain boundary decohesion
under higher magnification.
4. Life Assessment
The range of test temperature (850-1050˚C) was close to
the design temperature (950-1000˚C). The creep tests were
carried at three stress levels, viz. 47, 68 and 80 MPa. The
creep rupture data was analyzed by plotting σ vs. PL-M for
157
CL-M in the range from 5-30. The plot is found to be linear.
The coefficient of determination (R2 value) was obtained
corresponding to each CL-M value. From Fig. 6, the best fit
was obtained for a CL-M value of 24.5. The log-log plot of σ
vs. PL-M considering a CL-M value of 24.5 is shown in Fig. 7.
Figure 6. Variation of coefficient of determination for linear fit with Eq. 1
as a function of CL-M.
Figure 7. Plot of stress against PL-M for the creep test using CL-M value as
24.5.
Table 1 shows the values of CL-M for different applied
stresses obtained from the iso-stress plots of log(tR) vs. (1/T).
Larson and Miller [5]opined that the iso-stress lines should
intersect at a single point on the log(tR) axis and value of CL-M
corresponds to the value of this intersection point on the
log(tR) axis. It is observed that for the given stress ranges,
CL-M varies linearly with stress. Eq. 1 was therfore modified
in the form
158 Investigation of Micro-structure and Creep Life Analysis of Centrifugally Cast Fe–Cr–Ni Alloy Reformer Tubes

PL-M (σ) = T (log(tR) + (m × σ + A)) × 10-3 (2) Table 2. PL-M values from Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 for different stresses.

where m and A are constants obtained from CL-M vs. σ plot. Larson-Miller Parameter, PL-M
Stress
The value of m and A were obtained as -0.292 MPa-1 and [MPa] Using Constant CL-M
Using CL-M as a Function of
Stress
39.668, respectively. The σ vs. PL-M plot on a log-log scale
for the reformer tube considering CL-M value as a function of 10 30.85 45.56
stress is shown in Fig. 8. The plot of σ vs. PL-M is found to be 20 30.43 41.67
linear with a R2 value of 0.994, indicating a very good fit. It 30 30.00 37.78
may be noted that the R2 value for the σ vs. PL-M plot,
considering CL-M as a constant, was only 0.635. Comparision Table 3. Remaining life of the reformer tube for different stress and
temperature combinations.
of Fig. 7 & 8 indicates a better fit can be obtained
considering CL-M as a function of stress. Therefore, the PL-M Remaining life [years]
Stress Temperature
considering CL-M value as a function of stress shows a Using Using CL-M as a
[MPa] [˚C]
satisfactory result for predicting the long-term creep rupture Constant CL-M Function of Stress
life of the reformer steel. 10 820 0.77 9.79
PL-M values for hoop stresses of 10, 20 and 30 MPa for the
20 810 0.57 5.06
service exposed reformer tube were determined by
extrapolating the curves in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 and is given in 30 790 0.76 4.88
Table 2. Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 show the remaining life of the
reformer tube using the following equations:
tR = 10((1000×PL-M/T)-25.4) (3)
and
tR = 10((1000×PL-M/T) – (m × σ + A)) (4)
Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 show the remaining life decreases with
increase in tempetrature. At lower stress the material can
work at higher temperature than higher stress for same
remaining life. Comparison of remaining life of the reformer
tube obtained by considering constant CL-M and CL-M as a
function of stress in Eq. 1, at various service temperatures
and stresses are given in Table 3. From Table 3, it is apparent
that remaining life of the reformer tube is very sensitive to
small difference in temperture and CL-M value, even if CL-M
is considered as a constant.
Table 1. CL-M values for different stresses
Stress, σ [MPa] Larson-Miller Constant, CL-M
Figure 9. Temperature–predicted rupture life behavior for the service
80 15.24
exposed steel using constant CL-M value.
68 21.54
47 25.33

Figure 8. Plot of stress vs. PL-M for CL-M as a function of stress. Figure 10. Temperature–predicted rupture life behavior for CL-M as a
function of stress.
 Manufacturing Science and Technology 3(4): 155-159, 2015
5. Conclusions
The creep behaviour of service exposed microalloyed
HP40Nb reformer steel was investigated in the study. The
main results are summarized as follows:
1. The microstructure of the as-received material
mainly consisted of Cr-rich carbide, Nb-rich carbide
and Nb-Ti-rich carbide phases at the austenite grain
boundaries.
2. Creep rupture data analyzed by Larson-Miller
parameter revealed that CL-M is dependent on stress.
3. It is suggested that CL-M in the PL-M equation should
be considered as a function of stress rather than
considering as a constant value.
4. The creep deformation of the investigated material
indicates that the failure is by initiation of
micro-voids at the interface of Cr-rich
carbides-matrix, its growth and subsequent
coalescence.
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