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Kinetics of Corrosion and Oxidation of Fe- and Ni-Based Alloys by Molten Fluoride Salt

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Abstract

The study explores the corrosion mechanisms and kinetics that are related to materials dissolution, oxidation, and diffusion of Ni-based alloys (Hastelloy N and Hastelloy X) and Fe-based alloy (SS316) in molten fluoride salt (LiF-NaF-KF, known as FLiNaK) at 750 °C for various exposure times in Ni crucibles. These three alloys were chosen to study the effects of kinetics and corrosion of major constituents commonly found in materials such as Ni, Fe, and Cr. FLiNaK salt and its oxygen concentrations were characterized before and after tests. The results showed Cr2O3 formation and dissolution in higher Cr alloys (SS316 and Hastelloy X) but not in low Cr alloys (Hastelloy N). The diffusion rate of Cr from the bulk limits the corrosion at alloy/salt interface in the low Cr alloy. In the high Cr alloys, Cr2O3 formation and dissolution dominate the initial oxidation (1 day), while Cr2O3 formation and dissolution continue to dominate the oxidation in higher Cr alloys. However, Cr diffusion to alloy/salt interface eventually governs the processes for long-term exposure (21 days) due to the instability of oxides in molten salt.

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The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings will be shared on request from corresponding authors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Grant No. DE-SC0017826. The authors thank Dr. Huali Wu, who helped in the investigation process. The authors also thank the Virginia Tech Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Lab for the access to characterization equipment. XPS measurement was performed by Dr. Xu Feng at the Surface Analysis Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Tech, supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE-1531834.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Amanda Leong & Jinsuo Zhang

  2. Luna Innovations Incorporated, 301 1st St SW #200, Roanoke, VA, 24011, USA

    Steven Derek Rountree

Authors
  1. Amanda Leong
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  2. Jinsuo Zhang
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  3. Steven Derek Rountree
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Contributions

A.L. conducted the investigation, formal analysis, and writing of manuscript; J.Z. contributed to the writing of manuscript and supervised the research; S.D.R. supervised the research.

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Correspondence to Amanda Leong or Jinsuo Zhang.

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Leong, A., Zhang, J. & Rountree, S.D. Kinetics of Corrosion and Oxidation of Fe- and Ni-Based Alloys by Molten Fluoride Salt. High Temperature Corrosion of mater. 99, 375–397 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-023-10161-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-023-10161-7

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