Characterization of new Compositionally Complex Alloys (CCAs) for Molten Salt Reactors
Abstract
In recent times, Compositionally Complex Alloys (CCAs) have gained attention in the nuclear industry as potential structural materials for reactors due to their attested superior irradiation resistance compared to conventional alloys. The broad compositional range of these alloys provides increased flexibility for optimizing various properties, including electrochemical characteristics. This study focuses on the numerical design of novel alloys aimed at developing corrosion and irradiation-resistant materials for Gen IV Molten Salt Nuclear Reactors (MSRs), particularly those capable of withstanding chloride-based molten salts at temperatures around 550°C.
This study involved synthesizing several alloys through cold crucible induction casting. Both newly designed alloys and "reference alloys" obtained from literature, using the same conditions, were examined. The alloys, rich in Ni and containing either Al or Mo as the main alloying element along with Cr, underwent microstructural analysis in both as-cast and homogenized states (XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM), along with comparisons to thermodynamic predictions using ThermoCalc software. Mechanical properties were estimated through hardness measurements and the initial assessments of the corrosion behavior of the designed alloys were conducted via prolonged static immersion tests in chloride-based molten salts, simulating their anticipated in-service environment.