Characterization of thin passive film formed on inconel-625 tested in SCW

Developing the Generation IV nuclear reactor is an international collaborative effort. One of the most promising Gen IV nuclear reactor designs is the supercritical water (SCW) concept, in which the water coolant runs at about 625°C at the outlet. Under this temperature and high pressure condition, the cooling water is at supercritical state, which poses significant demand for both in-core and out of core materials. High-temperature mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and radiation damage are some of the key challenges. At present, no single commercial material can meet all the requirements of the severe SCWR conditions. Corrosion experiments performed under SCW condition yield various kind of corrosion modes, some are very challenging to characterize using conventional techniques. A combination of various advanced characterization techniques proofed to be essential to understand the root cause of materials' degradation.