Compatibility of T91 steel with liquid Pb-Bi eutectic alloy at 450℃

Pb-Bi eutectic alloy has been receiving increasing attention as a heavy liquid metal coolant in accelerator driven systems and Generation IV fission reactors. Compatibility of structural materials with liquid PbBi eutectic alloy at high temperature is one of the issues concerned. In the present study, corrosion tests of T91 steel in stagnant Pb-Bi eutectic alloy in saturated oxygen condition at 450 oC were carried out. After experiments, the thickness and compositional profile of the oxide layer on the specimen were analyzed using SEM and EDX. Analysis results show that the thickness of the oxide layer increases as the exposure time increases from 500 h to 1,000 h. The thickness of the oxide layer remains almost unchanged at 15 to 16 mm from 1,000 to 1,500 h. Formation of a thick and protective oxide layer at 450 oC prevents the penetration of liquid Pb-Bi eutectic alloy into the matrix of the T91 steel.