Jeresse Pelareja

MOLTEN & LIQUID

SALT CORROSION

Marie Jan Silubrico

 MOLTEN
SALT

Molten salt is salt

which is solid at
standard temperature
and pressure (STP) but
enters the liquid phase
due to elevated
temperature (1,000F or
higher)
 LIQUID
SALT

* A salt that is normally

liquid at STP at room
temperature

*are largely made of ions

and short-lived ion pairs.

* The term has been

restricted to salts whose
melting point is below
some arbitrary
temperature, such as 100
C (212 F)
Example of molten salt would be to heat sodium chloride ("table
salt") to a red heat (greater than 801 C, or 1474 F)1 upon which
it would melt into a liquid. This liquid is stable, has a heat
capacity similar to water (by volume) and flows much like water
does. The major differences are the obvious higher temperatures
attainable in the molten salt state and when the salt solidifies
(freezes) it contracts versus expanding like water. Thus, molten
salt freezing in a pipe would not burst the pipe as water would.
CHARACTERISTICS Can function as solvents
OF MOLTEN SALT Have good heat transfer
characteristics (heat capacity)
Function like a fluid (like water)
Can attain very high temperatures
(red heat; > 700 C)
Can conduct electricity
Some molten salts have chemical
catalytic properties
 MECHANISM OF
MOLTEN SALT
CORROSION
Metal: Inconel 600
-alloys high in Fe and Cr
Molten salt: NaCl-KCl

One simple way to study

the MECHANISM (film
formation and passivation
of materials) immersed in
molten salts is by
monitoring Corrosion
Potential (Ecorr) as a
function of time
MECHANISM

01

02
Rise in Ecorr indicates formation of a passive film
A steady Ecorr indicates that the film remains intact and protective.
A drop in Ecorr indicates breaks in the film, dissolution of the film, or no
film formation.
The test temperature significantly affects Ecorr and alloy behavior.
Usually an increase in temperature increases the aggressiveness of the
molten salts and corrosion resistance will depend on the protective
capability of the oxides formed on the alloys.
It is observed that, with increasing temperature, Ecorr values of
Inconel 600 become more active.
At 700C, Ecorr values increased continuously until the end of the test.
This behavior indicates that Inconel 600 experienced a continuous
corrosion process and it was not able to form a passive layer that
protected it from the action of molten salts.
At 800C, Ecorr values showed a continuous increase, and then an
abrupt decrease is observed at 50 hours (around 300 mV), and after
that, there was a slight increase until the end of the test.
The initial behavior can be associated with the dissolution of
protective oxide layers due to the action of molten salts, and then there
is possibly a change in the mechanism of corrosion of the alloy.
At 900C in the first 5 hours of testing, there is a sharp increase of Ecorr
and then it slightly increases until 20 hours; finally, a steady decline is
observed until the end of test.
This indicates a strong initial attack of the material and a subsequent
attempt to form a protective oxide.
It has been reported that the presence of Cr is
responsible for the low corrosion resistance of
materials in chloride salts and oxidizing environments.
The Ni-enrichment in the spongy zone shows that both
Cr and Fe were the main elements that reacted with the
molten NaCl-KCl salts. Therefore, the reactions that
resulted in the degradation of Inconel 600 are
WHAT METALS
ARE AFFECTED

molten salts can easily

corrode steel
melt aluminum
alloys high in Iron and
Chromium such as Inconel
106 and Type 316 Stainless
Molten alkali nitrate
(NaNO-, KNO- based) salts
cause extensive corrosion
of stainless steel at
temperatures above 500C
Molten Salt with chlorides
(combination of NaCl, KCl,
ZnCl, LiCl, AlCl, MgCl,
and CaCl) can corrode
steel though the operating
temperatures can be as high
as 900C
 Iron (Fe)
CORROSION
SUSCEPTIBILITY Niobium (Nb)
OF ALLOYING
ADDITIONS Vanadium(V)
(INCREASING
ORDER) Chromium (Cr)

Tungsten
(W)

Titanium
Iron (Fe) (Ti)

Aluminum
*Terms and conditions apply (Al)
HOW TO PREVENT

Alloys with high Nickel and high

Molybdenum content tend to
last much longer with only a
few mils of material loss per
year
Increased Niobium and Silicon
concentrations that have shown
improvements in oxidation rate
and material loss
Addition of rare earth (La, Y,
Gd) oxides, alkaline earth (Mg,
Ca, Ba etc.) oxides and alkali (K
and Na) salts with amounts
varying from 0.1-10 wt% to the
chloride molten salt can
prevent corrosive attack on
cheaper piping materials
 THANK YOU!

Molten and Liquid Salt

Corrosion