An extended review is presented of the compatibility behaviour of vanadium and vanadium alloys exposed to lithium and sodium at elevated temperatures. A general review of liquid-metal corrosion mechanisms is presented initially to provide a basis for understanding compatibility behaviour in liquid alkali metal systems. Interstitial mass transfer appears to be the dominant mechanism of corrosion or incompatibility in vanadium-base alloy/liquid alkali metal systems. Equilibrium distribution coefficients provide a basis for predicting the direction of interstitial solute transfer between vanadium or vanadium alloys and the liquid metal (Li or Na) with which they are in contact. While more vanadium/sodium compatibility data have been reported in the literature than vanadium/lithium data, a significant amount of work remains to be done to resolve a number of unanswered questions before vanadium alloys can be considered a viable structural material for fusion reactors where sodium and/or lithium are involved.
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