ODS iron aluminides

Since oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) FeCrAl-based alloys have sufficient creep strength and good oxidation resistance at the very high temperatures of interest for the primary heat exchanger in advanced, closed-cycle gas turbine systems, they constitute viable alternative candidates to ceramics. A major life-limiting factor of these alloys is the ability to continue to form a protective scale of aluminum oxide, a factor proportional to the total amount of aluminum contained in the alloy. Fe{sub 3}Al has oxidation resistance comparable to that of the FeCrAl-based alloys, and significantly superior sulfidation resistance. Also, because of its larger reservoir of aluminum, Fe{sub 3}Al would be expected to exhibit longer lifetimes at the temperatures of interest. Since the strengthening effects of ODS processing are expected to confer similar high-temperature creep properties to those found for the FeCrAl-based alloys, ODS-Fe{sub 3}Al is considered to have excellent potential for the very high-temperature heat exchanger application. The program effort on ODS Fe{sub 3}Al includes examination of the properties of available ODS-FeCrAl alloys; development of mechanical alloying parameters for ODS-Fe{sub 3}Al; determination of the effects of a dispersion of reactive element oxides on the high-temperature oxidation behavior of Fe{sub 3}Al; and evaluation of methods for joining them.