Liquid metal compatibility under irradiation: The LiSoR 5 experiment

LiSoR (liquid solid metal reaction) is a unique irradiation facility in which a specimen is exposed simultaneously to flowing liquid metal and a proton beam. The LiSoR loop and the test section were designed and constructed for irradiation with 72 MeV protons generated by PSI Philips cyclotron to investigate mainly the effect of liquid metal corrosion and embrittlement under irradiation onto the ferritic/martensitic steel T91. In the LiSoR 5 experiment the total beam current was 16.2 mA h and the irradiation dose on the specimen was about 0.75 dpa. Post irradiation examination (PIE) was carried out on the LiSoR specimen by means of SIMS, SEM/EDX and EPMA. The main result is the formation of a double layered oxide on the steel surface in the irradiated area. The maximum thickness of this layer is around 1.5 μm.