Liquid Sodium Cooling Loop Piping Material

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Discussion Overview

The discussion focuses on the materials suitable for piping in liquid sodium cooling loops, including both primary and secondary systems, as well as heat exchangers. The context includes considerations of material properties, compatibility with liquid sodium, and implications for reactor design.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that stainless steel is generally preferred for piping materials due to its non-reactivity with sodium.
  • One participant questions whether liquid sodium can alloy with the metal in piping, suggesting a concern about material integrity.
  • Another participant asserts that liquid sodium does not alloy with the metals used in piping, citing stainless steels as suitable materials for in-reactor components, including specific grades like SS 316L, HT-9, and D9-C1.
  • It is mentioned that standard piping steel with a stainless steel inner liner may be used to reduce costs.
  • Participants discuss the challenges of heat exchangers in fast reactors, particularly the interaction between sodium and water in steam Rankine cycles, and the potential benefits of gas-cooled fast reactors using a Brayton cycle.
  • There is a mention of the trade-offs between thermodynamic efficiency and system complexity in combined cycle plants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the specifics of material selection and the implications of sodium's interaction with metals, indicating that multiple competing views remain in the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of consensus on the best materials for specific applications and the potential effects of sodium on different metals, which remain unresolved.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in materials science, nuclear engineering, and reactor design may find this discussion relevant.

Andronicus1717
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What materials can be used for the piping in liquid sodium cooling loops (primary and secondary) and for the heat exchanger?
 
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Generally stainless steel, metals don't react with Sodium that's one of the reasons for prefering it to water.
 
mgb_phys said:
Generally stainless steel, metals don't react with Sodium that's one of the reasons for prefering it to water.

Doesn't liqiuid sodium alloy with the metal in piping?
 
Paulanddiw said:
Doesn't liqiuid sodium alloy with the metal in piping?
No. That is why stainless steels are selected for the in-reactor materials including the fuel cladding and structure. SS 316L is one material, and HT-9 and D9-C1 were also candidates in order to reduce swelling and growth. The Brits favored SS 321 (similar to Russian 12Cr18Ni10Ti) in the Dounreay FR.

Piping would normally be a standard piping steel with a stainless steel inner liner to keep the cost down.

The tricky part for fast reactors would be the heat exchanger between sodium and water, since water would be the working fluid in a steam Rankine cycle.

The attractive feature of a gas cooled fast reactor using a Brayton cycle is the elimination of water as a working fluid. On the other hand, a Brayton-Rankine combined cycle plant offers greater thermodynamic efficient, but at the cost of a more complicated and challenging system.
 
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