Diffusion Welding of Stainless Steels for Fabrication of Compact Heat Exchangers

Abstract

The joining of dissimilar materials or components with particular geometry often requires special union procedures, for instance a high density energy source as laser or electron beam for fusion welding or even necessarily a solid state welding process. In particular, this work describes the recent experience on applying the solid-state diffusion bonding (SSDB) to different types of stainless steels: austenitic AISI 316L, duplex UNS 31803 and superduplex UNS 327250. The SSDB was realized under high vacuum at 1050 °C for 60 min, employing uniaxial hydrostatic pressure of 18-35 MPa. The quality of the joints was evaluated by optical microscopy and mechanical tests. The preliminary results indicate the necessity of optimization of the process parameters for the duplex and superduplex steels. The positive results of the present study allowed the fabrication of compact heat exchanger prototype in stainless steel, employing the new manufacturing method, developed by LABTUCAL/UFSC, whereby a water jet is applied to precisely cut the channels of the heat exchanger core.

Key-words:
Solid-state diffusion bonding; Stainless steel; Compact heat exchanger