Effect of Nb and Fe on Corrosion Resistance of Zirconium Alloys

Several kinds of zirconium alloys with different compositions were exposed to 70 μg/g Li⁺ LiOH aqueous solution at 350 ℃ with a pressure of 16.8 MPa. The results reveal that the 3# zirconium alloy which contains Zr-Nb-Fe particles shows the best corrosion resistance, while the corrosion resistance of 1# and 5# zirconium alloys without Zr-Nb-Fe particles forming is worse. It indicates that the Zr-Nb-Fe particles play an important role on improving the corrosion resistance of zirconium alloys and a reasonable ratio of Nb and Fe can result in the forming of Zr-Nb-Fe particles in the zirconium alloys.