The goal of the present research is to achieve a basic understanding of corrosion of steels by Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE). Liquid LBE is under consideration in the transmuter as both a coolant and a target material. There have been studies of LBE, especially by the Russians, but a fundamental understanding and verification of its role in the corrosion of steels is still very 2 incomplete. Post-experiment testing and analysis will be performed on steel samples that have been in intimate contact with LBE. Chemical alterations and resulting chemical species will be measured at the steel surface. Techniques to be used include Electron Probe Microanalysis, Micro-Raman, x-ray photoelectron/Auger spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. In addition to these well-established laboratory-based instrumentation approaches at UNLV, we will use a state-of-the-art synchrotron-based spectroscopy and microscopy technique, the X-ray fluorescence microprobe at the Advanced Light Source, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. We will characterize spectroscopically both the LBE and the stainless steel before and after they interact to determine their composition, including minor components such as chromium and nickel. The proposed research moves toward establishing a rigorous experimental database of experimental measurements of LBE and its reactions with steels. Such a database can be used by DOE scientists and engineers in engineering efforts to control, avoid, and/or minimize the effect of corrosion of steels by LBE, under conditions appropriate to the transmuter
