Heinrich-Mandel Prize

The Board of Trustees of the VGB-FORSCHUNGSSTIFTUNG awarded the Heinrich-Mandel Prize 2008 to

• Dr. Hilmar Kjartansson Danielsen for his studies in the Z-Phase precipitation explaining long-term microstructure instabilities in the creep resistant martensitic 9-12%-Cr steels.

The 10,000 Euro prize was handed over by the VGB chairman on the occasion of the VGB Congress “Power Plants 2008“ in Stuttgart/Germany, on September 17, 2008.

Gerd Jäger is awarding the 2008 Heinrich-Mandel Prize to Hilmar K. Danielsen

Within the framework of the research project "Creep Behaviour and Life Assessment of Modified 12 % Chromium Steels“ ( 266 ), Dr. Hilmar K. Danielsen (30) achieved essential advances in the understanding of long-term microstructure instabilities of the creep resistant martensitic 9-12% Cr steels.

His studies and modelling of the harmful Z-phase precipitation explains why the development of martensitic 11-12% Cr steels was not successful up to now.

With the elucidation of Z-phase behaviour, Dr. Danielsen confirmed the connection between the Z-phase transformation and the long-term breakdown in the strength of 11-12% Cr steels.

This finding and further results based on it are used in current research projects pointing new directions for the development of martensitic creep resistant steels.