Abstract
Several factors influence the corrosion of austenitic stainless steel by liquid sodium such as temperature, flow rate and the contents of various impurities in sodium. The paper analyses the various factors. A study has been carried out in Indian sodium to examine the different modes of corrosion. Stainless steel (AISI 316) samples were exposed to sodium in a dynamic loop at temperatures in the range of 583 to 823 K for 16000 h. The velocity of sodium was maintained at 5 m/s. These samples were retrieved and analyzed for the various modes of corrosion. The leaching and depletion of elements on the surface exposed to sodium was analyzed by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS). The preferential leaching of nickel followed by the formation of ferrite phase was noticed at 823 K. The nature of the corrosion product formed on the surface was examined by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The compounds containing Fe-O and Cr-O bonds were noticed. The XPS spectra also revealed the segregation of carbon at some locations. The carbon profile was analyzed using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The value of the effective diffusion coefficient of carbon was calculated and the carbon profile likely to be achieved on exposure to sodium up to 30 years (at a temperature of 823 K) was evaluated. The cumulative effect of three modes of corrosion (complete leaching, formation of degraded layer and formation of carburised austenite) has been analyzed.
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