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Why use stainless steel? I thought "stainless" is mainly useful because it doesn't rust (is there water & oxygen in a MSR?). Also, couldn't the steel have anoth
by tomp 6y ago
Why use stainless steel? I thought "stainless" is mainly useful because it doesn't rust (is there water & oxygen in a MSR?). Also, couldn't the steel have another layer inside (e.g. just iron or something else non-reactive) so that it never comes into contact with the salts?
- flyingfences 6y ago"Rust" is just oxidation and there are a lot of substances that will cause oxidation.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- mywittyname 6y agoTo add to this, temperature plays a really critical role in oxidation/corrosion of stainless steel (and other metals). The scale that forms at high temperatures has a different composition than what develops at lower temperatures. In certain environment, the scale remains on the surface, inhibiting further oxidation, but in other environments, the scale is continuously removed, eventually destroying it.
- ortusdux 6y agoFor many of the same reasons that Spacex is using it for their starship. It's cheap and readily available, relatively easy to work with, and very well studied. There also really are not that many materials that have passed certification for use in reactors. I believe that "BPVC Section III-Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components-Division 5-High Temperature Reactors" only covers half a dozen stainless steels. As for cladding, the DOE's 2021 budget includes money for testing novel claddings. They are also looking for robust redox reference electrodes and additive manufacturing methods.
- Sharlin 6y agoIron is vastly more reactive than stainless steel, that's exactly why we have stainless steel.