The Atmospheric Fluidized-Bed Cogeneration Air Heater Experiment (ACAHE) sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) was initiated to assess the performance of various heat-exchanger materials to be used in fluidized-bed combustion air heater systems. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, through subcontracts with Babcock Wilcox, Foster Wheeler, and ABB Combustion Engineering Systems, prepared specifications and hardware for the ACAHE tests. Argonne National Laboratory contracted with Rockwell International to conduct tests in the DOE atmospheric fluidized-bed combustion facility. This report presents an overview of the project, a description of the facility and the test hardware, the test operating conditions, a summary of the operation, and the results of analyzing specimens from several uncooled and cooled probes exposed in the facility. Extensive microstructural analyses of the base alloys, claddings, coatings, and weldments were performed on specimens exposed in several probes for different lengths of time. Alloy penetration data were determined for several of the materials as a function of specimen orientation and the exposure location in the combustor. Finally, the data were compared with earlier laboratory test data, and the long-term performance of candidate materials for air-heater applications was assessed.

This Argonne report serves as a companion to our CADE-10 paper. To fulfill promises made in that paper, included here are detailed proofs in clause notation, input files compatible with OTTER, and explanations for the choice of approach. Also included are certain of the original and unpublished proofs (of Winker) that answered four open questions, two in equivalent calculus and two in the R-calculus. The organization parallels that of the CADE-10 paper.

The temperature dependence of glass durability, particularly that of nuclear waste glasses, is assessed by reviewing past studies. The reaction mechanism for glass dissolution in water is complex and involves multiple simultaneous reaction proceeded, including molecular water diffusion, ion exchange, surface reaction, and precipitation. These processes can change in relative importance or dominance with time or changes in temperature. The temperature dependence of each reaction process has been shown to follow an Arrhenius relationship in studies where the reaction process has been isolated, but the overall temperature dependence for nuclear waste glass reaction mechanisms is less well understood, Nuclear waste glass studies have often neglected to identify and characterize the reaction mechanism because of difficulties in performing microanalyses; thus, it is unclear if such results can be extrapolated to other temperatures or reaction times. Recent developments in analytical capabilities suggest that investigations of nuclear waste glass reactions with water can lead to better understandings of their reaction mechanisms and their temperature dependences. Until a better understanding of glass reaction mechanisms is available, caution should be exercised in using temperature as an accelerating parameter.