Abstract
Fluoride Salt Cooled High Temperature Reactors (FHRs) are important to the world as a potential future primary electricity source, with a very high potential that the present fleet of aging Light Water Reactors (LWRs) could be replaced by FHRs. As both the fuel and coolants for FHRs are suitable for very high temperature use (well in excess of 1000 °C), the limiting factor in achieving the highest possible FHR core outlet temperatures and thus thermal efficiency is the availability of compatible structural alloys. Nickel based alloys are candidate materials for high temperature structural applications where they excel in retaining strength, creep and oxidation resistance at high homologous temperatures. There is an extensive body of information on the corrosion of materials in molten fluoride salts as a result of the work performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on fluoride cooled reactors in the 1950s and 1960s. However, very little data is available on alloys for performance in molten fluoride environments at temperatures greater than 750 °C. Furthermore, the effect of alloying elements on the resistance to molten fluoride environments is not known. This study presents preliminary data on the corrosion behavior of selected experimental alloys in 46.5 LiF-11.5 NaF-42.0 KF (FLiNaK).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Corrosion Conference and Expo 2017 |
| Publisher | National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers International |
| Pages | 4685-4691 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781510840348 |
| State | Published - 2017 |
| Event | Corrosion Conference and Expo 2017 - New Orleans, United States Duration: Mar 26 2017 → Mar 30 2017 |
Publication series
| Name | NACE - International Corrosion Conference Series |
|---|---|
| Volume | 7 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0361-4409 |
Conference
| Conference | Corrosion Conference and Expo 2017 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | New Orleans |
| Period | 03/26/17 → 03/30/17 |
Funding
Research sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy. The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Cecil Carmichael, Dave Harper, Greg Cox, and Kevin Harper in casting, rolling, and heat-treatment of the alloys A and B. The assistance of Adam Willoughby in preparation of the corrosion test articles and conducting the corrosion tests, and Jordon Tyson in preparation and imaging of the cross-sections of the specimens is gratefully acknowledged.
Keywords
- FLiNaK
- Fluoride salt cooled reactors
- Ni-based alloys