NSUF 19-2833: The influence of proton irradiation damage on the corrosion of Hastelloy N exposed to FliNaK molten salt
A complete understanding of the evolution of Hastelloy N under adverse conditions needed to confidently operate molten salt reactors (MSRs) for long-term industrial use has yet to be realized. The technical objective of this RTE is to investigate and quantify the effects of radiation-induced point defect and dislocation aggregation on the diffusion and corrosion behavior of Hastelloy N in fluoride molten salt environments. This will be accomplished using a sample irradiated with high-energy protons at Texas A&M University and subsequently exposing the sample to lithium-sodium-potassium fluoride eutectic (FLiNaK) salt at 700°C for 500 hours. After corrosion, changes to sample morphology and elemental distribution, as well as grain orientation characteristics, will be quantified. This will be accomplished using focused ion beam (FIB) for specimen preparation followed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EDS-EELS) and ASTAR technique available at INL. If successful, an understanding of the quantitative effect of increasing low-dose radiation damage on the morphology of Hastelloy N in corrosive FLiNaK salt environments will be achieved over the next nine months.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | Texas A&M University |
| Embargo End Date | 2026-02-27 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Montrose, Lin Shao |
| Irradiation Facilities | Accelerator Laboratory |
| NSUF Call | FY 2019 RTE 3rd Call |
| PI | Andres Morell-Pacheco |
| PIE Facilities | Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory |
| Prep Facilities | Accelerator Laboratory |
| Project Member | Professor Lin Shao, Professor - Texas A&M University (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5703-1153) |
| Project Member | Dr. Lingfeng He, Associate Professor - North Carolina State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2763-1462) |
| Project Member | Mr. Andres Morell-Pacheco, PhD candidate - Texas A&M University |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 09/17/2019 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| Publication | Microstructural changes of proton irradiated Hastelloy-N and in situ micropillar compression testing of one single grain at different local damage levels Andres Morell-Pacheco, Ching-Heng Shiau, Boopathy Kombaiah, Lingfeng He, Adam Gabriel, Frank Garner, Lin Shao JNM None 2022-07-22 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022311522004251 |
| RTE Number | 2833 |