Pergamon Specrrochimico Am, Vol. 498. No. 11. pp. 1097-1101. 1994

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NEWS ON REFERENCE MATERIALS

Cobalt and zirconium alloy reference materials

IWAN ROELANDTS

Department of Geology, Petrology and Geochemistry, University of Li&ge, B-4000 Sart Tilman, LPge 1, Belgium

(Received and accepted 26 July 1994)

Abstract-The present column lists commercially available cobalt and zirconium alloy reference materials. Pure metals, various alloys, ores and setting-up samples have been considered. Included are three tables that provide an easy-to-use survey. The following information is covered: the name of the material, the sample code, the producer, the reference to certification, the names and addresses of the suppliers from whom the reference material may be obtained, and specific remarks.

ESSENTIAL to obtaining accurate analyses are good methods, good laboratory practices (GLP), well-qualified personnel, and adequate quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) p rocedures. The use of appropriate well-characterized reference materials (RM) is of crucial importance for QA and QC investigations of various industrial products and materials. They ensure the measurement compatibility, the long-term reliability and integrity of the process. Recent years have seen a large growth in RM activities.

In continuation to our inventory of metal reference materials, the present instalment lists commercially available cobalt and zirconium alloys.

Cobalt is mostly used in alloys for machine tools, grinding (e.g. Co-Cr-Ni-W alloys), turbine blades (Co-Cr-Mo and Co-Cr-W alloys), magnets and as a binder for tungsten carbide. This transition metal and its compounds are also of importance in catalysis (Fischer-Tropsch synthesis). Cobalt oxides are employed in the glass and ceramics industry to impart a blue colour.

The paramount importance of zirconium in the nuclear reactor technology is well established and has given rise to the “zircaloys” with small amounts of Sn, Fe, Ni and Cr in various combinations. Zircaloys 2 and 4 contain Sn (1.2-1.7%), Fe (0.07-0.20%) and Cr (0.05-0.15%). In addition, zircaloy 2 contains from 0.03 to 0.08% Ni. In zircaloy 3, Fe and Sn are of the order of 0.25% each.

Zirconium and its alloys have become the main cladding materials for water-cooled nuclear reactor fuels. These applications are based on the favourable chemical and physical properties of zirconium, especially its resistance to corrosion and high temperature, and the low thermal neutron absorption cross-section of the zirconium isotopes.

In the nuclear industry high demands are placed on the purity as a number of relevant properties depend decisively on the trace impurities. For example, because of its large thermal neutron cross-section, the presence of hafnium adversely affects the operating efficiency of nuclear powerplants. As a consequence, Hf must not exceed 100-200 mg/kg levels in the reactor grade materials.

Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of zircaloys depend on their oxygen and nitrogen contents, among other things. For this reason, contents of these gaseous components must be strictly controlled.

Zirconium compounds are also used in the ceramics industry.

1097

1098 I. ROELANDTS

Table 1. Available cobalt and zirconium reference materials

Sample name Sample code Certifi-

Producer cation Supplier(s) Remarks

PURE COBALT V27-4N8 VHG

VARIOUS COBALT BASE ALLOYS

Co-CkMo

Co-Cr-Ni-W

Co-Cr-W

PURE = ZIRCONIUM

ZIRCALOYS

zkaloy 2

zircaloy 4

v99695 F75 14936 14937 14941 to 14943 149360 149430

CLAXTON MBH MBH MBH MBH MBH

CARPENTER R-7

:I!3 R-13 R-13 R-13 R-13

64A 95A to 97A 328-l 170 170 A 171 171 A 172

45” 188 4olto405 4010 4020

z BAM

:KKz

it%% BRAMMER CLAXTON CLAXTON CLAXTON

!!5: MBH

12667 MBH 12669 to 12672 MBH 126670 MBH 126690 MBH

Z 15 to 18 SRM 1235 V40-2N6

z Zllto14

z 275 276 SRM 360b SRM 1237 SRM 1239

MIscELLANEous

Co-setting-up RCo 11 samples RCo14

co ores IGS 24

Zirconium alloys zr20 230 2k40

JAERI NIST VHG

JAERI JAERI JAERI

ALPHA BCR BCR BCR NIST NIST NIST

sus sus

BGS

;: IMI

R-2

::

t: R-4 R-8 R-8

K3 R-13 R-13

R-13 R-13 R-13 R-13

R-11 R-14

R-11 R-11 R-11

R-l R-3

R-3 R-14

R-13 R-13

s-11.15

s-7,3,15 s-3.15 S-12,2.3,15 S-12,2,3,15 S-12,2,3,15 S-12,3,15 S-12,3,15

s-3,15 s-3,15 S-4.2.6.3.15 S-2,12,6,3,15 s-2 S-2.12.6.3.15

:I; 12 6 3 15 s-3115’ ’ ’ s-3.15 s-3,15 S-12,2,3,15 S-12,3,15 S-12,3,15

S-12,2,3.15 S-12.2.3.15 S-12,3,15 S-12,3,15

s-11.3.15 s-13.3.15 S-12.15

s-11.3.15 s-11,3.15 s-11,3,15

S-1.12.15 S-8,12,2,3,15 s-2 S-8.12.3.15 S-13.2,15 s-3.15 s-3.15

S-12,2,3,15 S-12,2,3,15

R-5,12 S-5,12,6,3,15

R-9 S-9.12.2.3.15

;I; S-9,12,2,3,15 S-9.12.2.3.15

powder

chips chips

chips chips chips

chips chips

chips chips

powder

O,N,C chips 0,N.C 0,N.C

for XRF for XRF for XRF

Continued over.

News on reference materials

Table 1. Continued

1099

Sample name

zr ores

Sample code

BCS 204a BCS 358 BCS 388 IGS 35

$215 CAS 16

zl SRM 1978 AS 008 SARM 13

Certifi- Producer cation Supplier(s) Remarks

BAS S-6.3.15 BAS ;I; S-6.3.15 BAS S-6 12 2 3 15 BGS &2 S-5’12’6’3’15 Zr,Hf,Ti

E R-13 s-3:15. ’ ’ R-13 S-12.3.15

ELI R-13 S-12.3.15 R-10 S-10,3,15,16

K!? R-10 S-10,3,15.16

s-13

ES R-16 S-2.6.15 R-15 S-14,12,2,3,15

Table 2. Compilation

R-l R-2

R-3

R-4

R-5 R-6

R-7 R-8 R-9 R-10

R-11 R-12 R-13 R-14

R-15

R-16

Alpha Resources (USA) Certificate of Analysis. BAM (Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung turd-prtifung) (Germany). Certificate of Analysis (Priifungszeugnis). BCR reference materials (Community Bureau of Reference) (Belgium), European Commission, Brussels. 1994. Brammer Standard Company, Inc. (U.S.A.). Analytical Reference Materials. Catalog 1990-1991. British Geological Survey (BGS), Analysed samples. Bureau of Analysed Samples, Ltd (U.K.). Certified reference materials. Carpenter (U.S.A.) Certificate of Analysis. Claxton (U.S.A.). Certificate Imperial Metal Industries, Ltd (U.K.). Certificate. Institute of Certified Reference Materials (Russia). Reference Materials for Ferrous Metallurgy. Product Range and Specifications, 19 pp. Sverdlovsk. 1989. Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (Japan). B. LISTER; Geostand. Newsl. 2,157 (1978) MBH - Reference Materials 1994-95. NIST Standard Reference Materials Catalog 1992-93, NIST Special Publication 260, U.S. Department of Commerce (National Institute of Standards and Technology). N.M. Trahey, Editor. South African Bureau of Standards (South Africa). Certificate of Analysis. Standards Association of Australia (Australia). Analysis Certificate.

For the preparation of this issue, inquiries were addressed to various certifying institutions, producers, commercial firms and official distributors. Only agencies who replied to our request for information at the time of writing are mentioned here.

The presentation of the present survey follows the general style we have adopted in our previous instalments of the column.

Three tables have been prepared to provide, in a convenient way, a maximum of necessary information to the user of reference samples, and to make it easier for him to find what he is looking for.

1100 I. ROELANDTS

Table 3. Sources of supply

S-l

s-2

s-3

S4

s-5

S-6

s-7

S-8

s-9

s-10

s-11

s-12

s-13

s-14

s-15

S-16

Alpha Resources Inc., 3090 Johnson Road, Stevensville, MI 49127, U.S.A. Brammer Standard Company, Inc., 14603 Benfer Road, Houston, Texas 77069, U.S.A. Breitlilnder, Eichproben und Labormaterial GmbH, Postfach 8046, D-4700 Hamm 3, Germany. Bundesantalt fttr Materialforschung und-priifung (BAM). Unter den Eichen, 87, D-1000 Berlin 45, Germany. British Geological Survey (formerly Institute of Geological Sciences) Keyworth, Nottingham NG 12 5 GG. England. Bureau of Analysed Samples Ltd, Newham Hall, Newby, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS8 9EA, England. Carpenter Technology Corp., Research and Development Center, Analytical Chemistry, P.O. Box 662, Reading, Pensylvania 19603, U.S.A. Community Bureau of Reference (BCR). Commission of the European Communities. Rue de la Loi, 200. B- 1049 Brussels, Belgium. Imperial Metal Industries Ltd, Research and Development Department, Kynoch Works, Witton, Birmingham, England. Institute of Certified Reference Materials. 620219 Sverdlovsk, Russia. Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), Tokai- mura, Ibaraki-ken, 319-11, Japan. MBH Analytical Ltd, Holland House, Queens Road, Bamet, Herts. EN5 4DJ, England. Office of Standard Reference Materials. Room 205, Building 202, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD 20899, U.S.A. South African Committee for Certified Reference Materials. South African Bureau of Standards. Dr. Lategan Road, Groenkloof, Private Bag X191, Pretoria, South Africa. Techmetal Promotion - Usinor Sacilor Group, Voie Romaine, Domaine de l’IRSID, B.P. 321, F - 57213 Maizibre-les-Metz, Cedex, France. Urahnashexport, 620012, Sverdlovsk, Russia.

In Table 1, cobalt and zirconium alloy materials have been grouped into five principal classifications

1. Pure cobalt 2. Various cobalt base alloys 3. Pure zirconium 4. Zircaloys 5. Miscellaneous.

The table is organized as follows.

(1) The name of the material is given in the first column. (2) The sample code, i.e. the usual abbreviations given by the originator, is shown

in column two. (3) The acronym of the producer is stated in the third column. (4) References of certification, reports, catalogues or preliminary information are

News on reference materials 1101

identified by a number preceded by the letter R. The number in the relevant column refers to the list presented in Table 2.

(5) The supplier from whom the material may be obtained is identified in a similar manner (using S as the first letter). The name and addresses of the suppliers of the reference materials mentioned in Table 1 are given in Table 3. In this manner, readers are able to obtain further information directly from such sources (catalogue, price list, quantity of the supply, details of the purchase procedure, etc.).

(6) Specific remarks that may assist the reader in his choice of samples are indicated in the last.column.

In preparing the paper, unfortunate oversights might have occurred and many materials possibly used as standards may have been omitted for whatever reasons. In such cases we apologise to the readers. We will ask them insistently to inform us of their remarks and suggestions so that we can take these into account in the future, and improve the usefulness of this column. Producers and suppliers of reference materials are invited to send pertinent information about their products and services to the address given above.

Acknowfedgemenfs-I am grateful to Professor P. W. J. M. BOUMANS for the enthusiasm he has invested in the present reference material column and to V. MIOCQUE for her kind assistance. I also wish to express my sincere thanks to various agencies for their co-operation in providing ample information and numerous documents for this column.