Corrosion behavior of extra-high-purity Type 316 austenitic stainless steel in a liquid lead-bismuth eutectic with oxygen saturation or low oxygen concentrations

Irisawa, Eriko ; Kato, Chiaki   

This study investigates the corrosion behavior of extra-high-purity Type 316 austenitic (316EHP) stainless steel with reduced impurity segregation at the grain boundaries in a liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 530C to evaluate (1) the resistance of the steel to intergranular oxidation in the LBE with oxygen saturation and (2) its dissolution corrosion resistance at lower oxygen concentrations than the equilibrium oxygen potential of magnetite. Under oxygen saturation conditions in the LBE, 316EHP generated protective uniform oxide layers without severe intragranular oxidation. Compared with the case of the conventional 316L stainless steel, enhanced Cr diffusion along the grain boundaries in 316EHP considerably improved the intergranular-oxidation resistance of the steel. However, in the LBE with a low oxygen concentration, 316EHP exhibited high susceptibility to dissolution corrosion, thus undergoing a rapid intergranular attack particularly for short exposure durations, and island-like ferritic particles were formed for long exposure durations. Future studies should explore the optimal oxygen concentrations for oxide scale formation and the long-term corrosion behavior of the steel in dynamic LBE systems.