Corrosion of High Temperature Alloys in the Primary Circuit Helium of High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors. Part II: Experimental Results

Abstract The reactive impurities H 2 O, CO, H 2 and CH 4 which are present in the primary coolant helium of high temperature gas‐cooled reactors can cause scale formation, internal oxidation and carburization or decarburization of the high temperature structural alloys. In Part I of this contribution a theoretical model was presented, which allows the explanation and prediction of the observed corrosion effects. The model is based on a classical stability diagram for chromium, modified to account for deviations from equilibrium conditions caused by kinetic factors. In this paper it is shown how a stability diagram for a commercial alloy can be constructed and how this can be used to correlate the corrosion results with the main experimental parameters, temperature, gas and alloy composition. Using the theoretical model and the presented experimental results, conditions are derived under which a protective chromia based surface scale will be formed which prevents a rapid transfer of carbon between alloy and gas atmosphere. It is shown that this protective surface oxide can only be formed if the carbon monoxide pressure in the gas exceeds a critical value, P , which depends on temperature and alloy composition. Additions of methane only have a limited effect provided that the methane/water ratio is not near to, or greater than, a critical value of around 100/1. The influence of minor alloying additions of strong oxide forming elements, commonly present in high temperature alloys, on the protective properties of the chromia surface scales and the kinetics of carbon transfer is illustrated.