Corrosion of 9% Cr Ferritic/Martensitic Steels in Flowing Pb-Bi Eutectic With 10⁻⁷ Mass% Dissolved Oxygen at 450 and 550 °C

Corrosion behavior of 9 %Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) P92, E911 and EUROFER steels was investigated in flowing (2 m/s) Pb-Bi with 10⁻⁷ mass%O at 450 and 550 °C for up to 8766 and 2011 h, respectively. The steels show mixed corrosion modes simultaneously revealing protective scaling, accelerated oxidation and solution-based attack. At 450 °C, the accelerated oxidation resulted in a metal recession averaging 6 μm (± 2 μm) after ∼8766 h while local solution-based corrosion attack ranged from ∼40 to 350 μm. At 550 °C, the accelerated oxidation resulted in a metal recession of about 10 μm (± 2 μm) after ∼2011 h. Solution-based corrosion attack appears more regularly at 550 °C, with a maximum depth ranged from ∼90 to 1000 μm. Incubation time for solution based attack is 500–2000 h for 450 °C and < 300 h for 550 °C. The EUROFER steel showed more severe metal recession via both oxidation and solution-based corrosion in comparison with P92 and E911 steels. The possible effect of alloying and structure on the corrosion response of 9 %Cr F/M steels is discussed.