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Corrosion Tests of Zircaloy Hull Waste to Confirm Applicability of Corrosion Model and to Evaluate Influence Factors on Corrosion Rate under Geological Disposal Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2014

Osamu Kato ,
Hiromi Tanabe ,
Tomofumi Sakuragi ,
Tsutomu Nishimura  and
Tsuyoshi Tateishi
Osamu Kato
Affiliation:
Kobe Steel, LTD., JAPAN
Hiromi Tanabe
Affiliation:
Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center, JAPAN
Tomofumi Sakuragi
Affiliation:
Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center, JAPAN
Tsutomu Nishimura
Affiliation:
Kobe Steel, LTD., JAPAN
Tsuyoshi Tateishi
Affiliation:
Kobelco Research Institute Inc., JAPAN
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Abstract

Corrosion behavior is a key issue in the assessment of disposal performance for activated waste such as spent fuel assemblies (i.e., hulls and end-pieces) because corrosion is expected to initiate radionuclide (e.g., C-14) leaching from such waste. Because the anticipated corrosion rate is extremely low, understanding and modeling Zircaloy (Zry) corrosion behavior under geological disposal conditions is important in predicting very long-term corrosion. Corrosion models applicable in the higher temperature ranges of nuclear reactors have been proposed based on considerable testing in the 523−633 K temperature range.

In this study, corrosion tests were carried out to confirm the applicability of such existing models to the low temperature range of geological disposal, and to examine the influence of material, environmental, and other factors on corrosion rates under geological disposal conditions. A characterization analysis of the generated oxide film was also performed.

To confirm applicability, the corrosion rate of Zry-4 in pure water with a temperature change from 303 K to 433 K was obtained using a hydrogen measuring technique, giving a corrosion rate for 180 days of 8 × 10-3 μm/y at 303 K.

To investigate the influence of various factors, corrosion tests were carried out. The corrosion rates for Zry-2 and Zry-4 were almost same, and increased with a temperature increase from 303 K to 353 K. The influence of pH (12.5) compared with pure water was about 1.4 at 180 days at 303 K.

Keywords

corrosionZrgeologic
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1665: Symposium NW – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXVII , 2014 , pp. 195 - 202
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

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References

REFERENCES

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