Experimental and Analytical Investigations of Mass Transport Processes of lithium/12Cr-1MoVW Steel in Thermally-Convected Lithium Systems

摘要

Experimental data on corrosion and mass transport in lithium/12Cr-1MoVW steel were obtained from two thermal convection loops; one operated from 360 to 505 deg C for 3040 hours and the other from 525 to 655 deg C for 2510 hours. The experimental effort was supported by analytical investigations of mechanisms of corrosion and mass transport. It was found that mass transfer is not a simple function of temperature and alloy component solubility, but that temperature gradient also plays an important role. Above 580 deg C mass transfer appears dominated by temperature gradient. Between 450 and 580 deg C, mass transfer appears related to surface reactions involving nitrogen in lithium with chromium, and carbides on the steel surface. The corrosion rates from this work are significantly lower than those adopted in recent blanket design studies. 16 refs., 5 figs. (ERA citation 13:031918)