Liquid metal corrosion/erosion investigations of structure materials in lead cooled systems: Part 1

In future lead cooled nuclear power systems the heavy liquid-metal pump will be placed in the hot temperature region of the reactor. This combines corrosion problematic at elevated temperatures with erosion at the impeller of the pump. Several steels designed for conventional mechanical high loaded pumps and the SiSiC have been tested in oxygen containing stagnant lead (10−6 and 10−8 wt%) at 550 and 600 °C for 2000 and 4000 h in the COSTA-facilities. Only SiSiC shows no influence by the liquid metal. No dissolution attack occurs at cast iron steels but inner oxidation takes place. NORILOY shows no dissolution attack. All other steels are attacked by liquid lead at one of the conditions. To evaluate the erosion–corrosion attack a new test facility allowing velocities of the lead of up to 20 m/s was designed and constructed. With a CFD-code the behaviour and flow velocity of the lead are simulated.