Point Defect Model for the kinetics of oxide film growth on the surface of T91 steel in contact with lead-bismuth eutectic

Point Defect Model (PDM) has been successfully employed for aqueous solutions to describe the rate of surface corrosion of structural materials. In this work, the adaptation of PDM for the case of lead-bismuth coolant is developed. The necessary modifications in the set of electrochemical reactions and in the model of electrostatic potential distribution in the oxide film are made. Parameters of the proposed model, PDM_PB, are optimized using the experimental data for T91 grade steel. The obtained adaptation of PDM shows applicability to the case of lead and lead-bismuth coolants which is of critical importance for the next-generation fast-neutron reactors.

Automated summary

The Point Defect Model (PDM) has been adapted for the application of lead-bismuth coolants, involving modifications in electrochemical reactions and the model of electrostatic potential distribution in the oxide film. The proposed PDM_PB model is optimized using experimental data for T91 grade steel and demonstrates applicability for lead and lead-bismuth coolants, which is critical for next-generation fast-neutron reactors.