Lead-based melts are considered as candidate coolants, due to their excellent thermophysical and nuclear properties, for high temperature application for both fission and fusion reactor concepts [1]. Unfortunately, long term exposures of structural materials (steels) to thermally convective Pb-Li demonstrated strong phenomena of corrosion. In this study, we propose amorphous aluminum-based coatings (aluminum oxide and aluminum titanium nitride) for protecting steels operating in heavy liquid metals (HLMs) at high temperature. The coatings have been grown by Plasma Sputtering and High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering systems on T91 steel substrates. In a corrosion test (1200 h), coated T91 steel samples were exposed to stagnant lead at 550 °C. Cross-sectional SEM and EDX analysis revealed no signs of corrosion.
Aluminum-based coatings as corrosion barrier in fusion and fission nuclear systems
E Vassallo;M Canetti;S Deambrosis;E Miorin;M Pedroni;
2015
Abstract
Lead-based melts are considered as candidate coolants, due to their excellent thermophysical and nuclear properties, for high temperature application for both fission and fusion reactor concepts [1]. Unfortunately, long term exposures of structural materials (steels) to thermally convective Pb-Li demonstrated strong phenomena of corrosion. In this study, we propose amorphous aluminum-based coatings (aluminum oxide and aluminum titanium nitride) for protecting steels operating in heavy liquid metals (HLMs) at high temperature. The coatings have been grown by Plasma Sputtering and High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering systems on T91 steel substrates. In a corrosion test (1200 h), coated T91 steel samples were exposed to stagnant lead at 550 °C. Cross-sectional SEM and EDX analysis revealed no signs of corrosion.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
