Cellular automata simulation on the corrosion behavior of Ni-base alloy in chloride molten salt

Chloride molten salt is required to study its corrosion behavior since it is recommended to be used as heat transfer and heat storage material in high-temperature thermal power generation system. In this paper, a simplify model was established by the reaction of diffusive corrosive gas and metal substrate in a chloride molten salt. A cellular automaton model based on the stochastic approach is adopted to simulate the uniform corrosion and the migration of metallic element. The corrosion behavior is also simulated considering the practical working condition, such as oxygen, moisture and so on. By comparing the simulation results with experimental data, it proves that the cellular automata simulation is an effective alternative method to describe the high-temperature corrosion process of molten salts. Simulation results of 25,000 time steps is taken as a comparison of the 21-day corrosion which reflects the Cr distribution, and the growth of corrosion layer with the migration of Cr element was reproduced. The change of corrosion layer thickness is similar to the mass loss. The simulation method provides insight on the distribution of corrosion products, corrosion kinetics and morphologies for the long-term application.