Permeation characteristics of some iron and nickel based alloys

Abstract

The permeation characteristics of deuterium in several iron and nickel based alloys were measured by the gas phase breakthrough technique in the temperature range 100 to 500 °C with applied pressures ranging from 10 Pa to 100 kPa. The restriction of the gas flux imposed by surface oxides was modeled in order to evaluate the effects of surface oxide retardation of the gas flux on the effective values of the deuterium permeabilities and diffusivities in the alloys. The most permeable alloys were 430 and 431 stainless steels. The next most permeable alloy was Monel K-500, which exceeded the permeability of pure Ni by more than a factor of five at room temperature. The alloys with permeabilities less than pure Ni were, in order of decreasing permeability: the Inconels 625, 718, and 750, the Fe-Ni-Co glass-sealing alloys Kovar and Ceramvar, and the 300-series stainless steels. Deuterium trapping within the alloys appeared to influence the values of bulk diffusivities, which were not correlated with either the permeabilities or the chemical compositions of the alloys.