Corrosion in fused salts

Abstract

A review of corrosion in fused salts is presented During the last 20 years interest in high-temperature liquids has expanded rapidly following their use as electrolytes for the production of uranium in the Manhattan project. As a consequence the structure and properties of fused salts have been much investigated.^1–;3 Fused salts have many possible practical applications; for example they have been proposed as nuclear reactor fuel-coolant systems, heat transfer liquids, and reaction media for both chemical⁴ and electrochemical processes.⁵ Increasing awareness of fused salts has also led to evidence for their presence in many high-temperature industrial processes. In all these systems corrosion is a major problem.