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PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 10, 1952
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Fig. 11.5. Hot Leg of Hydrogen-Fired Inconel LOOP Tested for 500 hr at
816OC in NaF-ZrF,-UF,. 250X.
determine whether the addition of
iron and nickel metal powders to
NaF-KF-LiF-UF, w i l l cause an increase
in attack. The test with hydro-
fluorinated fuels w i l l also be repeated.
Corrosion Inhibitors. l[t was
pointed out in the previous reportc4)
that the addition of 0.5% ZrH, caused
a reduction in the hot leg attack on
Inconel by NaF-KF-LiF-UF, (10.9-43.5-
44.5-1.1 mole %) to only 0.5 m i l .
The test has now been repeated, and
the attack found in the second loop
was 1 mil. The unidentified material
found in many of the grain boundaries
in the hot leg section of the first
loop was also found here, but only in
very small amounts in widely scattered
areas. A thin adherent layer that
appears to be metallic was found in
the cold leg. The fluorides in the
loou after the run consisted of
(4)G. M. Adamson, op. cit.. p. 108.
alternating layers of a colorless
material and the usual green phase.
Petrographical 1 y , these two ma te r ial s
seem to be very similar, or even to
be the same. No reduced or partly
reduced phases were found in the
loop itself.
Since optimistic results were ob-
tained with the loops discussed above,
two loops were run with zirconium
hydride added to NaF-ZrF,-UF, (46-50-4
mole %). Operation of both these loops
has been completed, but the results of
metallographic examination are availa-
ble for only the first one. Scattered
attack, with a maximum penetration of
4 m i l s (average 2 m i l s ) , was found.
This attack is definitely less than
that found in the other NaF-ZrF,-UF,
loops run during this period, but the
effect of the zirconium hydride is not
so great as was found with the NaF-
KF-LiF-UF, mixture. No grain-boundary
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