Dissimilar Metal Bonding of Corrosion-Resistant Cladding to Structural Materials in Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors

As the United States aging fleet of nuclear reactors approach the end other their lifetimes, a new generation of nuclear reactors (Generation IV) are being developed to ensure national energy security without emissions or pollutants as a byproduct. However, there are many technological hurdles associated with the extreme corrosive environments required by molten salt reactor designs. This presents a unique materials challenge of developing structural materials capable of withstanding these harsh corrosive and high temperature environments. Mainstream Engineering Corp. will develop a cladding process to add a corrosion-resistant layer to structural nuclear components. Specifically, this process will enable cladding of complex geometries unlike any other cladding process currently available. The versatile process also enables bonding of many different dissimilar metal systems. Mainstream will partner with commercial nuclear companies to bring this technology to market. The Phase II objective will be to demonstrate corrosion-resistant cladding in large areas and non-planar geometries. This will involve making modifications to the cladding processing system to produce best quality bonding. We will conduct testing including corrosion in high-temperature molten salts, aging, and thermo-mechanical loading. We will conclude Phase II by demonstrating a manufacturing path to component production with corrosion-resistant cladding. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The adoption of new Generation IV nuclear reactors has the potential to make nuclear energy safer, more efficient, and able to produce less nuclear waste than current nuclear reactors. This project will help enable a reliable, clean, domestic energy supply by overcoming the material design challenges of advanced reactors. In addition to energy security, adopting nuclear energy will result in reduced carbon emissions and pollution from fossil fuels.