Abstract
To explore the upper temperature limit of a fusion blanket utilizing eutectic Pb-17at.%Li for tritium breeding, a series of three mono-metallic thermal convection loops have been fabricated from alloy APMT (Fe–21Cr–5Al–3Mo) and operated with commercial PbLi and increasing peak temperatures of 550°, 600° and 650 °C, flow rates of 0.4–0.7 cm/s and temperature gradients of 85–115 °C. Chains of APMT specimens including 25 mm long tensile specimens were hung in the hot and cold legs of the loops to evaluate post-exposure room temperature tensile properties after 1000 h exposures in each experiment. For specimens exposed to flowing PbLi above 500 °C, only minor changes in tensile properties were observed after exposure. Most APMT specimens were pre-oxidized to form alumina prior to exposure and exhibited small mass losses as the alumina was partially transformed to α-LiAlO2 that tended to spall after exposure. Specimens without pre-oxidation exhibited higher mass losses and formed γ-LiAlO2 but with less spallation. While promising for increasing blanket temperatures, the small mass losses suggest that the surface oxide is not completely stable. However, even at the highest temperatures, there was no indication of classic dissolution/precipitation behavior suggesting that higher temperature compatibility may be possible.
