TY - JOUR A1 - Swaminathan, Srinivasan A1 - Kumar, S. A1 - Kranzmann, Axel A1 - Hesse, Rene A1 - Goldbeck, Hennig A1 - Fantin, Andrea T1 - Corrosion characteristics of 316L stainless steel in oxide-rich molten solar salt at 600◦C N2 - An attempt has been made in this work, to observe the influence on alloy aging by the sodium oxide (Na2O) in solar salt (60 wt% NaNO3 + 40 wt% KNO3). The accelerated aging was established by adding Na2O (0.005, 0.07, 0.135 and 0.2 wt%) to the solar salt and their effect on corrosion of 316L stainless steel (SS) at 600 ◦C in that oxide-rich solar salts for 168 h in synthetic air was investigated. Corrosion is significantly more in oxide-rich solar salt compared to pure solar salt. Strikingly, the oxide scale-base metal interface is wavy in solar salt containing 0.005 % Na2O clearly shows the oxide addition to salt melt influences Cr-rich inner oxide layer formation and its selective dissolution at early stage that leads to non-uniform corrosion. Interestingly, with increase of Na2O to 0.07 %, steel corrosion proceeded uniformly by accelerated disintegration of Cr-rich inner layer and subsequent dissolution. Severe scale spallation and weight loss in nitrate melt containing 0.2 % Na2O fostering more rapid corrosion, alarming that substantial tolerance of oxide content in solar salt is ≥ 0.135 % for an acceptable corrosion of 316L SS. Despite preferential dissolution of Cr and scale degradation/spallation with increased oxide content in solar salt, the corrosion layer in all cases comprised of sodium ferrite, and Cr-rich Cr-Fe mixed oxides with the Ni enrichment at the scale-metal interface. Competing processes between oxide scale growth, degradation and dissolution or even spallation has been discussed with an emphasis of Na2O addition to solar salt. KW - Molten salt corrosion KW - Solar salt KW - Thermal energy storage KW - Stainless steel KW - Concentrating solar power PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-610819 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2024.113176 VL - 278 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-61081 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -