Evaluating Corrosion Effects on the Stainless Steel Components of the SAVY-4000/Hagan Nuclear Material Storage Containers

Technical Report · Thu Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1458918· OSTI ID:1458918

Reeves, Kirk Patrick ^[1]; Karns, Tristan ^[1]; Stone, Timothy Amos ^[1]; Narlesky, Joshua Edward ^[1]; Hyer, Holden Christopher ^[1]; Smith, Paul Herrick ^[1]; Wilson, Jr., Kennard Virden ^[1]; Duque, Juan ^[1]; Stroud, Mary Ann ^[1]; Berg, John M. ^[1]; Gaunt, Andrew James ^[1]; Rios, Daniel ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Surveillance of vented, stainless-steel Hagan and SAVY-4000 storage containers with some plutonium materials has revealed evidence of corrosion inside the container. There are ~3000 items stored in Hagan containers and ~600 items currently stored in SAVY-4000 containers at TA -55. The Hagan is made of 304L steel, while the SAVY-4000 is made of 316L and should be less susceptible to corrosion. Given the relatively thin body wall of these containers (nominally 0.762 millimeters), it is essential to understand the effects of corrosion on the lifetime of the containers to ensure worker safety. Studies are being conducted on both container types to determine the relative susceptibility of the two containers to corrosion. This paper describes the potential cause of corrosion, the extent of corrosion, and types of corrosion observed, along with the results of accelerated aging experiments. The combined results of the surveillance and lifetime extension studies establish a technical basis for extending the design life of the stainless steel components of the SAVY-4000 container from 5 years to 15 years.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1458918
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-18-25709
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English