Investigation on oxygen controlled liquid lead corrosion of surface treated steels

A low alloyed martensitic steel Fe9Cr (OPTIFER IVc) and an austenitic steel 16Cr15Ni (1.4970) were exposed to liquid lead to examine their suitability as structural material for lead cooled accelerator driven subcritical actinide burners. The surface of part of the steel specimens was restructured and that of another part was alloyed with Al by treatment with high power pulsed electron beams. A corrosion test stand was constructed containing liquid lead under oxygen control at 550 deg. C. Steel specimens were examined after 800, 1500 and 3000 h of exposure. For austenitic steel lower corrosion effects were observed especially when the surface was treated by the electron beam. No corrosion attack could be seen at all on both steels after alloying Al into a surface layer of 10 μm depth