Molten salts with their unique properties are important in key energy applications, such as used in future molten salt reactors (MSR) for nuclear energy, as well as used as heat transfer fluid and thermal energy storage medium for solar energy. The interaction of metals with the molten salts plays a key role in these applications. For instance, the corrosion of structural materials in molten salts is recognized as a key challenge for the MSR. It is thus of great importance to fundamentally understand the mechanisms of such interactions. Much of the work has been conducted on engineering materials such as Ni-based super alloys or stainless steels. As part of the effort in the Molten Salts in Extreme Environments EFRC, we attempt to gain fundamental understanding on the metal-salt interaction by investigating model systems such as Ni and Ni-Cr alloy, in pure KCl-MgCl2 salts. The complex multi-scale evolution in the structure, chemistry and morphology has been investigated via combining X-ray nano-tomography and transmission electron microscopy with chemical scanning transmission electron microscopy capability. We will discuss the three-dimensional morphological evolution of metals interacted with molten salts, as well as their detailed chemical elements distribution.

Visualization of molten salt interaction with Ni and Ni-20Cr alloy via multiscale imaging

2019 Fall National Meeting

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