Mitigated Dissimilar Mass Transfer with Aluminized RAFM Steels in Flowing PbLi at 650°C

Claude de Lamater-Brotherton; Marie Romedenne; Ying Zhang; Bruce A. Pint

doi:10.1080/15361055.2025.2498195

Mitigated Dissimilar Mass Transfer with Aluminized RAFM Steels in Flowing PbLi at 650°C

Claude de Lamater-Brotherton
, Marie Romedenne
, Ying Zhang
, Bruce A. Pint

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

To evaluate dissimilar material interactions in flowing eutectic Pb-16at. %Li between fusion-relevant materials and to establish a maximum operating temperature of future blanket designs, a series of thermal convection loop (TCL) experiments with flowing PbLi have been conducted. Following a 1000-h, 550°C to 650°C TCL experiment, a thin reaction product was observed on the surface of monolithic, high-purity SiC. To identify the source of the observed dissimilar material interaction and to understand the reaction kinetics, an identical 2000-h TCL exposure was conducted, but less reaction of the SiC specimen was observed. Characterization of the FeCrAlMo (alloy APMT) loop tubing and the PbLi-exposed austenitic stainless steel (SS) assembly parts suggested that the formation of the reaction layer on the surface of the PbLi-exposed SiC did not originate from the coated reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel, but from the dissolved loop materials (liquid metal exposed APMT tubing and type 316 SS fittings). The results, after 2000 h, suggest that the dissimilar material reaction between the Al-coated RAFM steel and the SiC has very slow reaction kinetics within a temperature gradient of 550°C to 650°C.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	471-485
Number of pages	15
Journal	Fusion Science and Technology
Volume	82
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2498195
State	Published - 2026

Funding

This research was funded by the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. The authors would like to thank the following people at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for their valuable contributions: Michael Stephens, Adam Willoughby, and Brandon Johnston (loop construction and experimental work), Tracie Lowe (scanning electron microscopy/BSE/EDS analysis), Ercan Cakmak (XRD characterization), Daniel Newberry and Jim Horenburg (metallography), Kelsey Epps (tensile testing), George Garner (specimen preparation), and Giovanni Mainardi from the Tennessee Technological University (coating fabrication). Special thanks to Sergey Smolentsev and Sam Bell for the comments and technical review of the paper. This paper has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The U.S. government retains, and the publisher by accepting this paper for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this paper, or allow others to do so, for U.S. government purposes. The DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). This paper has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The U.S. government retains, and the publisher by accepting this paper for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this paper, or allow others to do so, for U.S. government purposes. The DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).

Keywords

Corrosion
RAFM steel
coatings
fusion
lead lithium
liquid metal

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10.1080/15361055.2025.2498195

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title = "Mitigated Dissimilar Mass Transfer with Aluminized RAFM Steels in Flowing PbLi at 650°C",

abstract = "To evaluate dissimilar material interactions in flowing eutectic Pb-16at. \%Li between fusion-relevant materials and to establish a maximum operating temperature of future blanket designs, a series of thermal convection loop (TCL) experiments with flowing PbLi have been conducted. Following a 1000-h, 550°C to 650°C TCL experiment, a thin reaction product was observed on the surface of monolithic, high-purity SiC. To identify the source of the observed dissimilar material interaction and to understand the reaction kinetics, an identical 2000-h TCL exposure was conducted, but less reaction of the SiC specimen was observed. Characterization of the FeCrAlMo (alloy APMT) loop tubing and the PbLi-exposed austenitic stainless steel (SS) assembly parts suggested that the formation of the reaction layer on the surface of the PbLi-exposed SiC did not originate from the coated reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel, but from the dissolved loop materials (liquid metal exposed APMT tubing and type 316 SS fittings). The results, after 2000 h, suggest that the dissimilar material reaction between the Al-coated RAFM steel and the SiC has very slow reaction kinetics within a temperature gradient of 550°C to 650°C.",

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author = "\{de Lamater-Brotherton\}, Claude and Marie Romedenne and Ying Zhang and Pint, \{Bruce A.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} This material is published by permission of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, operated by UT-Battelle, LLC for the US Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725. The US Government retains for itself, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up, non-exclusive, and irrevocable worldwide licence in said article to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government.",

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AU - de Lamater-Brotherton, Claude

AU - Romedenne, Marie

AU - Zhang, Ying

AU - Pint, Bruce A.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © This material is published by permission of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, operated by UT-Battelle, LLC for the US Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725. The US Government retains for itself, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up, non-exclusive, and irrevocable worldwide licence in said article to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government.

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - To evaluate dissimilar material interactions in flowing eutectic Pb-16at. %Li between fusion-relevant materials and to establish a maximum operating temperature of future blanket designs, a series of thermal convection loop (TCL) experiments with flowing PbLi have been conducted. Following a 1000-h, 550°C to 650°C TCL experiment, a thin reaction product was observed on the surface of monolithic, high-purity SiC. To identify the source of the observed dissimilar material interaction and to understand the reaction kinetics, an identical 2000-h TCL exposure was conducted, but less reaction of the SiC specimen was observed. Characterization of the FeCrAlMo (alloy APMT) loop tubing and the PbLi-exposed austenitic stainless steel (SS) assembly parts suggested that the formation of the reaction layer on the surface of the PbLi-exposed SiC did not originate from the coated reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel, but from the dissolved loop materials (liquid metal exposed APMT tubing and type 316 SS fittings). The results, after 2000 h, suggest that the dissimilar material reaction between the Al-coated RAFM steel and the SiC has very slow reaction kinetics within a temperature gradient of 550°C to 650°C.

AB - To evaluate dissimilar material interactions in flowing eutectic Pb-16at. %Li between fusion-relevant materials and to establish a maximum operating temperature of future blanket designs, a series of thermal convection loop (TCL) experiments with flowing PbLi have been conducted. Following a 1000-h, 550°C to 650°C TCL experiment, a thin reaction product was observed on the surface of monolithic, high-purity SiC. To identify the source of the observed dissimilar material interaction and to understand the reaction kinetics, an identical 2000-h TCL exposure was conducted, but less reaction of the SiC specimen was observed. Characterization of the FeCrAlMo (alloy APMT) loop tubing and the PbLi-exposed austenitic stainless steel (SS) assembly parts suggested that the formation of the reaction layer on the surface of the PbLi-exposed SiC did not originate from the coated reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel, but from the dissolved loop materials (liquid metal exposed APMT tubing and type 316 SS fittings). The results, after 2000 h, suggest that the dissimilar material reaction between the Al-coated RAFM steel and the SiC has very slow reaction kinetics within a temperature gradient of 550°C to 650°C.

KW - Corrosion

KW - RAFM steel

KW - coatings

KW - fusion

KW - lead lithium

KW - liquid metal

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105008765159

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JF - Fusion Science and Technology

IS - 1-2

ER -

Mitigated Dissimilar Mass Transfer with Aluminized RAFM Steels in Flowing PbLi at 650°C

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