Proceedings Of The Nasa Aec Liquid Metals Corrosion Meeting Lewis Research Center Cleveland Ohio October 2 3 1963

The fourth in a series of NASA-AEC Liquid-Metals Corrosion Meetings, held October Z-3, 1963, was devoted to discussion of the mechanisms of liquid-metal corrosion, the results of compatibility tests with alkali metals, and the problems related to compatibility testing with alkali metals.

The fourth in a series of NASA-AEC Liquid-Metals Corrosion Meeting held October 2-3, 1963, was devoted to discussion of the mechanisms of liquid-metal corrosion, the results of compatibility tests with alkali metals, and the problems related to compatibility testing with alkali metals. Previous meetings in this series dealt with a broader range of topics that include mercury corrosion, liquid-metal analytical chemistry, and liquid-metal properties. In the interest of comprehensive coverage, this meeting was restricted in scope. It was felt that topics not covered could be deferred to meetings under other auspices planned for the near future.

This report presents the highlights of what has been ascertained about the interactions of liquid and vapor sodium, NaK potassium, lithium, and cesium with solid materials of potential use in practical liquid-metal systems. Data for inclusion were selected by the authors on the basis of their practical utility to designers and research workers. There has been an accelerating interest in alkali metals as (1) coolants for fast-breeder nuclear reactors, (2) coolants in space power plants, (3) Rankine-cycle working fluids in high- temperature nuclear reactors, (4) propellants in ion-propulsion engines, (5) seeding materials in magnetohydrodynamic generators, (6) space-charge dissipating media in thermionic generators, and (7) high-temperature hydraulic fluids. Prominent among the liquid-metals research efforts are studies directed toward finding the best containment material for a given alkali under a given set of operating conditions.