Document Type

Annual Report

Publication Date

2008

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Publisher Location

Las Vegas (Nev.)

First page number:

46

Last page number:

47

Abstract

In advanced nuclear energy systems, lead alloys emerge as strong candidates for transmutation and advanced reactor systems as nuclear coolants and spallation neutron targets. However, it is widely recognized that corrosion of materials caused by lead alloys presents a critical barrier to their industrial use. A few experimental research and development projects have been set up by different groups such as at Los Alamos National Laboratory to study the corrosion phenomena in their test facilities and to develop mitigation techniques and materials. One of the central or main techniques under development is to use active control of oxygen thermodynamic activity (OTA) to provide protective oxide layers.

Setting OTA in flowing lead alloys makes corrosion highly dependent upon the oxygen concentration and the oxidation processes at materials surfaces. The active oxygen control technique exploits the fact that lead and bismuth are chemically less active than the major components of steels, such as Fe, Ni, and Cr. By carefully controlling the oxygen concentration in lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE), it is possible to maintain an iron- and chrome based oxide film on the surfaces of structural steels, while keeping lead and bismuth from excessive oxidization that can lead to precipitation contamination. Thermal analysis has given an ideal oxygen level range in a non-isothermal lead alloy coolant system. However, in a practical coolant loop, the proper oxygen level depends not only on thermal factors but also on hydraulic factors (system operating temperature, temperature profile, flow velocity, etc.). In addition, the oxygen distribution in a non-isothermal lead alloy coolant system is still unclear. The optimal oxygen levels still need to be investigated.

Keywords

Corrosion and anti-corrosives; Eutectic alloys; Lead-bismuth alloys; Metals — Oxidation; Nuclear reactors — Materials — Testing; Oxide coating; Steel — Corrosion

Controlled Subject

Corrosion and anti-corrosives--Testing; Eutectic alloys; Nuclear reactors--Materials--Testing

Disciplines

Materials Science and Engineering | Metallurgy | Nuclear Engineering | Oil, Gas, and Energy

File Format

pdf

File Size

281 KB

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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