Effects of nitrogen on corrosion of stainless steels in a liquid sodium environment

Abstract

The corrosion of ferritic stainless steels using sodium at 650 ° C in a maximum isothermal region contained in a non-isothermal sodium loop constructed of a Type 316 stainless steel has been examined. Also, previous results on corrosion of austenitic stainless steels in sodium at 700 ° C in the same loop have been reproduced. The selective dissolution and absorption of nickel, the selective dissolution of chromium, and the resultant increase in iron in the surface of stainless steels in the loop mainly determine the corrosion loss of the stainless steel specimens. The austenitic steels hardly decarburize, but denitride. The ferritic steels decarburize and denitride and the denitriding is more remarkable than the decarburizing. The vanadium and niobium, carbide and nitride formers, in the ferritic steels inhibit the decarburizing to some extent, but barely inhibit the denitriding. The nitrogen in the steels rapidly diffuses to the grain boundaries, and rapidly dissolves into sodium, which will lower surface energy of the steels to enhance the dissolution of other elements. The dissolved N in sodium would then be transported to the free surface of the sodium adjacent to the argon cover gas of sodium and easily be released into the cover gas. This mechanism would cause the rapid dissolution of nitrogen into sodium and the enhancement of the corrosion rate of the steels containing nitrogen.