NSUF 22-4373: Investigation of Spinel Phase Formation on Ni-doped FeCrAl Alloy in Radioactive Hydrogenated Water
The normal high-temperature water environment of light water reactors (LWRs) is highly oxidizing. FeCrAl tends to be stable even in the boiling water reactor environments due to the formation of protective/oxide layers composite of spinel phases (Fe3O4 and/or FeCr2O4). Radiolysis results in a more oxidizing environment where Fe-based spinel is not stable. However, NiFe2O4 was observed in the majority of the outer oxide formed on the irradiated FeCrAl samples and thus it is stable. There is a number of stainless steels and Ni-based alloys that dissolve Ni into the coolant, but it is unclear if the Ni concentration in the coolant is sufficient for the reaction. A small amount of Ni addition to the FeCrAl may be essential. The proposed work will characterize the formation of oxidation layers on the Ni-doped FeCrAl alloy subjected to in-situ proton irradiation corrosion in hydrogenated water, and investigate if Ni advances the formation and stability of spinel phase in the oxide layers. In-situ proton irradiation-corrosion experiments will be carried out, and the oxide layers formed during the testing will be characterized using TEM. It's proposed to take four days on the irradiation testing and six days on the post-irradiation examination. The samples are ready and available for the proposed work.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | The normal high-temperature water environment of light water reactors (LWRs) is highly oxidizing. FeCrAl tends to be stable even in the boiling water reactor environments due to the formation of protective/oxide layers composite of spinel phases (Fe3O4 and/or FeCr2O4). Radiolysis results in a more oxidizing environment where Fe-based spinel is not stable. However, NiFe2O4 was observed in the majority of the outer oxide formed on the irradiated FeCrAl samples and thus it is stable. There is a number of stainless steels and Ni-based alloys that dissolve Ni into the coolant, but it is unclear if the Ni concentration in the coolant is sufficient for the reaction. A small amount of Ni addition to the FeCrAl may be essential. The proposed work will characterize the formation of oxidation layers on the Ni-doped FeCrAl alloy subjected to in-situ proton irradiation corrosion in hydrogenated water, and investigate if Ni advances the formation and stability of spinel phase in the oxide layers. In-situ proton irradiation-corrosion experiments will be carried out, and the oxide layers formed during the testing will be characterized using TEM. It's proposed to take four days on the irradiation testing and six days on the post-irradiation examination. The samples are ready and available for the proposed work. |
| Award Announced Date | 2022-06-14T07:27:22.89 |
| Awarded Institution | Idaho National Laboratory |
| Facility | Advanced Test Reactor |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Kevin Field |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Yi Xie |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 4373 |