Corrosion behaviour of aluminized martensitic and austenitic steels in liquid Pb–Bi

Abstract The Pb–Bi liquid alloy is under consideration as a spallation target material in the hybrid systems due to its suitable nuclear and physical properties. In order to limit the risks of corrosion of the structural elements in contact with the liquid Pb–Bi, protection by means of aluminized coatings was investigated for 316L austenitic steel and T91 martensitic steel. For both steels, no damages were observed after immersions in static Pb–Bi up to 500 °C for low oxygen concentrations and long durations. However, at 600 °C in the same conditions, a non-uniform degradation of the coatings was observed. Only coated 316L was tested in dynamic conditions. The results were generally satisfying for temperatures from 350 to 600 °C and for fluid velocities up to 2.3 m s−1. However, in both the IPPE loops and the CICLAD device, some localized damage of the coatings, attributed to erosion, was observed.