Corrosion of Structural Alloys in High-Temperature Molten Fluoride Salts for Applications in Molten Salt Reactors

Abstract

Hastelloy N®, a nickel-based alloy, and 316 stainless steel are among the candidate structural materials being considered for the construction of the molten salt reactor (MSR). Most of the proposed MSR concepts use molten fluoride salts as coolant which can be quite corrosive to structural alloys. The results of studies on the corrosion behavior of the two alloys in molten Li2BeF4 (FLiBe) salt at 700°C are discussed. This salt is being considered as the primary coolant for MSR designs featuring solid fuel particles, but the reported results also provide insights into the corrosion in MSR designs where the uranium fuel is dissolved in the molten fluoride salt. Corrosion was observed to occur predominantly by de-alloying of Cr from the alloy surface and into the molten salt, with more pronounced attack occurring along the grain boundaries than in the bulk grains. The magnitude and the mechanisms of corrosion were different for corrosion tests performed in graphite and metallic capsules, a result warranting recognition given the coexistence of structural alloys and graphite in the molten salt medium in the MSR.