Abstract
This article is Part II of the systematic study on the long-term behaviors of the protective oxide layer in liquid lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) systems. The model developed in Part I is applied to analyze the kinetics of the growth of the oxide layer formed on cladding materials (HT-9 and T-91 steel) of an LBE-cooled small modular reactor. It is found that the outer magnetite layer of initially formed duplex-layer oxide structure on cladding steels can be completely removed in a long-term operation through chemical reaction with the liquid metal and mass transfer by the liquid metal flow, which causes the inner compact spinel layer to contact with LBE directly. The present calculations indicate that the corrosion rate of the steels considered is reduced by approximately three orders of magnitude after the magnetite layer is removed. Increasing the velocity of the LBE flow can reduce the time needed for removal of the magnetite layer, which benefits the steel corrosion resistance for a long-term operation. The oxide layer properties and growth kinetics are also analyzed. The operation ranges of the flow velocity and the oxygen concentration are developed based on the modeling results, which indicates both T-91 and HT-9 have appropriate corrosion resistance and can be applied as cladding materials for a 10-year operation if the oxygen concentration is well controlled.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A. V. Zrodnikov, V. I. Chitaykin, B. F. Gromov, O. G. Grigoryv, A. V. Dedoul, and G. I. Toshinsky, in The Conference of on Heavy Liquid Metal Coolant in Nuclear Technologies (HLMC-98), (Obninsk, Russia, 1999).
E. P. Lowen and A. T. Tookuhiro, Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 40, 614 (2003).
N. Li, Progress in Nuclear energy, 50, 140, (2008).
G. L. Toshinsky, et al., Small modular lead-bismuth cooled fast reactor for multi-purpose use: SVBR-75/100. Innovative Small and Medium Sized Reactor: Design Features Safety Approaches and R&D Treads, IAEA-TECDOC-1451, (2005), p. 159.
Generation IV Roadamp: R&D Scope Report for Liquid Metal Cooled Reactor Systems. GIF-005-000, (2002).
P. K. Fomitchenko, in Proceeding of the 1998 Frédéric Joliot Summer School of Reactor Physics, (CEA, Cadarche, France, 1998, Aug. 17–26).
B. F. Gromov, et al., Atomic Energy, 81, 770, (1996).
X. He, N. Li, M. Mineev, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 297, 214, (2001).
H. Sekimoto and M. Yan, Energy Conversion and Management, 49, 1868, (2008).
S. G. Hong, E. Greenspan, and Y. I. Kim, Nuclear Technology, 149, 22, (2005).
J. Zhang, R. Kapernick, R. R. McClure, and T. J. Trapp, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 441, 644, (2013).
H. Sekimoto, et al., in International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, (Arlington, 2002, 14–18 Apr).
M. Schutze, P. F. Tortorelli, and I. G. Wright, Oxide of Metals, 73, 389, (2010).
J. Robertson and M. I. Manning, Material Science and Technology, 81, (1990).
M. Schutze, Oxidation of Metals, 44, 29, (1995).
J. Zhang, Oxidation of Metals, 80, 669, (2013).
L. F. Epstein, Liquid Metals Technol. 20, 67, (1957).
Acknowledgments
This paper was revised based on a report (LA-UR-11-04116) which was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the Hyperion Power LLC through a CRADA with LANL. The author is grateful to P. McClure, R. Kapernick, D. Poston and D. Dixon the Los Alamos National Laboratory for discussion. Special thinks go to Dr. Xiaoji Li at The Ohio State University for giving good comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, J. Long-Term Behaviors of Oxide Layer in Liquid Lead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE), Part II: Model Applications. Oxid Met 81, 597–615 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-014-9469-4
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-014-9469-4