Plasma-Sprayed Ceramic Coatings for Barrier Applications Against Molten Uranium Corrosion

Ceramic coatings are applied on engineering components for protecting them from large thermal load and hot corrosion. Choices of coating material for protection against hot corrosion by uranium are few, because of its high reactivity. Yttrium oxide has a high melting temperature and is inert towards uranium. Therefore, yttrium oxide coatings are effective as a barrier against hot corrosion by uranium and its alloys. This paper gives a summary of the developmental work on plasma-sprayed yttria coatings for corrosion barrier applications against molten uranium. Results show that plasma-sprayed yttria coatings offer a long-term solution to hot corrosion problems.