Abstract
The corrosion behaviors of potential metallic materials for the liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) and the controlled thermonuclear reactor (CTR) in liquid alkali metals have been reviewed. Emphasis is given to the corrosion behaviors above 500°C in the primary alkali metal systems. The solubilities of metals in liquid sodium and lithium, which have a great effect on the corrosion and mass transfer of metals under large temperature gradients, are shown. Analyses are given to the thermodynamic aspects of nonmetallic elements (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen) for metal-sodium and metal-lithium systems of interest, which are related with the types of interactions (embrittlement, compound formation, reduction in strength, and alkali metal penetration of the metals). The monitoring and controlling of nonmetallic elements at low levels in sodium and lithium are described. The recent experimental result and the model on the corrosion and mass transfer of austenitic stainless steels in flowing sodium and the recent experimental results on the corrosion of vanadium base alloys in sodium are shown and discussed. Also, the influence of nonmetallic elements on the compatibility of potential containment materials for CTR application with liquid lithium is described.
