Project Info
Advanced Gas Metal Arc Welding Processes to Clad Molten Salt Reactor Components
Jonah Klemm-Toole
jklemmto@mines.edu
Project Goals and Description:
There are several power generation technologies that use molten salt as the heat transfer fluid, including molten salt nuclear reactors and concentrated solar power. In both cases, the molten salt results in considerable corrosion on the metallic components. One solution is to clad the salt contacting surfaces with alloys that are resistant to molten salt attack. The overall goal of this project is to develop processing parameters for advanced gas metal arc welding deposition modes in order to clad molten salt resistant alloys on structural components. The project will include experimenting with process parameters, metallographic investigation, and analyzing molten salt corrosion experiments.
More Information:
Grand Challenge: Not applicable.
There is very little publicly available literature regarding this project.
Primary Contacts:
Jonah Klemm-Toole (jklemmto@mines.edu)
Student Preparation
Qualifications
The student should be interested in welding. Experience with at least one of the following areas would be helpful: gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and metallographic preparation.
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
4-5
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
The student will gain an in-depth understanding of developing processing parameters for gas metal arc welding, analyzing infrared thermography data, and evaluating weld microstructures.
MENTORING PLAN
The student will regularly meet with a graduate student in the project. Additionally, the student will participate in weekly meetings with graduate students and professor. Realistic goals will be set at the beginning of the project, and they will be continuously updated as needed. The frequent interaction with professors and graduate students will ensure all resources are being provided to ensure the student gets the most out of the project.
PREFERRED STUDENT STATUS
Sophomore
Junior
Senior