DISSOCIATION OF IRON OXIDES IN MELTS OF HEAVY METALS

At present, the problem of providing corrosion resistance of steels in heavy liquid metal coolants is solved by forming and maintaining protective oxide films on the surfaces of structural steels. However, oxide films are not absolutely impermeable barriers for the components of steels (primarily iron), which, as a result of diffusion processes, inevitably enter the coolant and can interact with oxygen to form solid-phase oxides. Within the framework of this work, a method is considered for obtaining the numerical values of the quantities characterizing the processes of dissociation of iron oxides as a function of temperature and oxygen potential of HLMC. The performed calculations made it possible to obtain specific numerical values of the limiting solubilities of iron oxides as a function of the temperature and the initial state of the coolant with respect to iron and oxygen impurities, and also made it possible to obtain numerical values of other thermodynamic parameters characterizing the current and limiting state of HLMC. The considered approach is of a general nature and can be used in experimental studies of the kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of the dissociation processes of compounds in liquid metals.