Electrochemical corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel in molten fluorides with a temperature gradient

Abstract

The temperature gradient is the main driving force for the corrosion of materials in molten fluorides in molten salt nuclear reactors (MSR). In this paper, the corrosion behavior of Fe and 316L stainless steel in molten (Li,Na,K)F with temperature gradients of 650/700 °C and 600/700 °C is investigated. The experimental results indicate that the potential difference of materials in molten fluorides with a temperature gradient is the main driving force for corrosion. The larger the temperature gradient, the more serious the corrosion of the material will be, especially for samples at the hotter end of the range. Keywords: Temperature gradient, Corrosion, Molten (Li,Na,K)F, 316L