Literature Review of Cladding for Corrosion Protection of Structural Alloys in Molten Fluoride Salts

Abstract

Materials corrosion is a major challenge in the use of molten fluoride salt as a coolant in molten salt reactors (MSRs) in large part due to the removal of protective oxides by these salts and the requirement for inherent thermodynamic stability of the exposed metal. Depending on reactor operating conditions, there is a possibility that no nuclear-code approved structural alloy meets the combined requirements of high strength and corrosion resistance in fuel-bearing molten fluoride salt. Therefore, a promising approach is to clad structural alloys with a corrosion resistant material. This paper presents the status of research on cladding for corrosion protection in molten fluoride salts.