The Department of Energy is seeking advanced bimetallic materials for high temperature reactor systems. In the fabrication of Generation IV molten salt reactor (MSR) systems, testing has shown that current selection of approved structural materials lack the sufficient corrosion resistance needed to achieve a viable long lasting reactor system. The predominant cause of corrosion by molten fluoride and chloride salts in these systems is the dealloying of Chromium from the structural material. To this end, a reliable method of cladding approved structural materials with a protective corrosion resistant alloy would allow for the creation of MSR systems with much longer lifespans. The overall objective of the Phase I and II programs is to develop advanced corrosion resistant bimetallic materials for MSR environments and demonstrate these materials suitability for a wide variety of systems. During Phase I, High Energy Metals, Inc. (HEMI) intends to utilize explosive welding to apply a wide range of corrosion resistant materials to 316H stainless steel, a representative ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III Div. 5 compliant structural material approved for use in MSRs. The chosen corrosion resistant materials are Mo-TZM, Ni-201, Hastelloy-N, Tungsten, and (3-5%)Re Tungsten. HEMI intends to use high resolution ultrasonic C-scan imaging to verify the integrity of the bonds, along with a variety of destructive metallurgical tests to quantify the strength of the cladding.
