Corrosion of type 316 stainless steel, path A PCA, and 12 Cr-1 MoVW steel in thermally convective lithium

The purpose of this task was to determine the corrosion resistance of candidate first-wall materials to slowly flowing lithium in the presence of a temperature gradient. Corrosion and deposition rates are measured as functions of time, temperature, additions to the lithium, and flow conditions. These measurements are combined with chemical and metallographic examinations of specimen surfaces to establish the mechanisms and rate-controlling processes for dissolution and deposition reactions. Results from lithium thermal convection loops are (1) microstructural variations of prime candidate alloy (PCA) did not strongly influence weight loss behavior, (2) kinetic analysis of data from six runs with type 316 stainless steel showed phase boundary reaction control for dissolution, and (3) the mass transfer of a 12 Cr-1 MoVW steel in lithium changed significantly when the loop temperatures were raised