Characteristics of INCONEL alloy C276

What are the properties of INCONEL alloy C276?

Nickel alloys need to work hard in extreme environments containing corrosive acids and other aggressive media. Even under the harshest conditions, INCONEL alloy C-276 is a popular choice. Here, we look at its properties and why they are suitable for these harsh environments.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right material for harsh industrial environments. You need to know what kind of corrosive media will be present, what the operating temperature range is, and what loads the material will be subjected to. In a harsh situation, the material will need to be able to operate in some of the most corrosive conditions on earth, at high temperatures and high pressures.

Finding an alloy that can survive in such extreme environments is not an easy task. INCONEL C-276 alloy is a material worth considering due to its excellent corrosion resistance to a wide range of aggressive media. It is widely used in a variety of different industrial applications and is considered to be one of the most versatile options available in harsh environments. As a supplier of nickel alloys, Shanghai Makan Alloys has a comprehensive understanding of each material and a wealth of experience in the properties, characteristics, and applications of this technologically leading alloy.

1. Alloy C276 Main Characteristics
INCONEL Alloy C-276 is used in harsh environments due to its nickel alloy properties. It is a nickel-chromium superalloy with a high molybdenum content (15-17%). It is also possible to control the tungsten and iron content and to strictly limit the carbon content. The low carbon content minimizes carbide precipitation during heat treatment and welding. This means that the alloy retains its excellent resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion when used in welded structures. In other materials, the weld zone is weakened by heat during the welding process and is, therefore more resistant to corrosion.INCONEL alloy C-276 is sometimes covered with lower alloyed materials in the weld zone to provide additional protection and even higher performance in industrial applications.

The material’s corrosion resistance is one of its main highlights. Even in very harsh environments, it resists general corrosion such as stress corrosion cracking, pitting, and crevice corrosion very well. It is also extremely resistant to sulfuric, hydrochloric, and phosphoric acids. Highly oxidizing, neutral, and acidic chlorides; as well as solvents, formic and acetic acid, acetic anhydride, wet chlorine gas, hypochlorite, and chlorine solutions. This is what makes it so well used in the chemical processing industry. Finally, it also has excellent resistance to seawater corrosion, especially in crevice conditions.

2. Alloy C276 industry applications

With such a wide range of resistance, it is no wonder that INCONEL alloy C-276 is used in many industrial applications.

For example, it is used in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems to control air pollution in power plants. Components it is used in include scrubbers, piping, and stack liners. Compared to other alloys, INCONEL C-276 alloy has the ability to withstand higher chloride content before localized corrosion occurs. Given the presence of chlorides in scrubber liquids and gas condensates, this is certainly the preferred choice in this industry.

This nickel alloy has also been chosen for certain oilfield and subsea applications. When recovering and processing sour natural gas, which often contains hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and chlorides, the material needs to have good resistance to sulfide stress cracking and stress corrosion cracking. INCONEL alloy C-276 has high levels of nickel, chromium, and molybdenum, which together can provide this resistance even at high temperatures in deep wells. It’s used in things like piping, downhole, and surface components.

Its composition is also used for pollution control and waste treatment in very harsh environments. The high molybdenum content of INCONEL alloy C-276 helps create resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion. It is used in the most aggressive portions of waste liquid handling systems where other materials will not be able to cope with harsh conditions. In air pollution control, the alloy is used in stack linings, ducts, dampers, scrubber towers, stack gas reheaters, fans, and fan shrouds.

INCONEL alloy C-276 is also an important material in chemical processing. It has been selected for use in processes containing ferric and copper chloride ions, chlorine, hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, organic acids, acetic anhydride, seawater, brine, and acidic oil and gas wellhead fluids. It is used in heat exchangers, reaction vessels, evaporators, and transportation piping.