Analysis of nitrogen distribution in iron-titanium alloys after nitrogen trapping in liquid lithium by using soft X-ray emission spectroscopy

Abstract Liquid lithium, a candidate material for the target of International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF), easily contains nitrogen. Nitrogen in liquid lithium should be removed as it accelerates corrosion of tubing materials. Hot trapping by iron-titanium alloys is expected to be a practical method. In order to understand the characteristics of nitrogen trapping with iron-titanium alloys in liquid lithium, nitrogen distribution was observed by Soft X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (SXES). Samples of Fe-5Ti alloys were immersed for 9–256 h in liquid lithium which contains 1000 w-ppm of nitrogen at 823 K and studied by X-ray Powder diffraction and SXES. The results show that nitrogen is trapped mainly in the grain boundaries and on the surfaces of the Fe-5Ti alloys and diffuses in Fe-5Ti much faster than in pure titanium. In addition, it is assumed that the amount of nitrogen trapping by the surface of Fe-5Ti alloys does not depend on the immersion time.