Corrosion behavior of additively manufactured FeCrAl in out-of-pile light water reactor environments

Abstract

Iron-Chromium-Aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys are candidate materials for the cladding of Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuels. The FeCrAl alloys in general range in Cr composition from 12% (C26M) to 21% (APMT). In this work the general corrosion behavior of Additively Manufactured (AM) C26M coupons was compared to the behavior of traditional Powder Metallurgy (PM) coupons. Immersion testing were conducted for 12 months at 288°C and 330°C in pure water containing either oxygen or hydrogen. Results show that the mass change of AM specimens in hydrogenated water was like the mass change of PM specimens. In oxygenated water, the mass change of AM coupons was higher and less reproducible than for the PM coupons. Porosity in the AM specimens make their behavior less predictable in high temperature water.