The Sporadic History of Rubidium and its Role in Corrosion of Steel Related to Nuclear Material Storage

Journal Article · Mon Mar 02 04:00:00 EST 2020 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2019.151914· OSTI ID:1592416

Asmussen, Robert M. ^[1]; Neeway, James J. ^[1]

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1. BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)

The influence of rubidium (Rb), both in its metallic and oxidized states, on the corrosion resistance of steels has direct relevance to the storage of radioactive Kr-85 containing nuclear materials. Kr-85 undergoes a ß-decay to generate stable, metallic Rb. The literature to date is sparse, contained primarily in company reports and divisive as to whether Rb metal, or its oxides, can lead to corrosion of steel materials. In both the direct storage of Kr-85 and used nuclear fuel that will contain Kr-85, if Rb is corrosive then continual decay of the Kr-85 will generate an increasingly corrosive environment for the steel canister it is stored in. This review was written to consolidate the known data to date on Rb corrosion of steels to identify consistencies, contradictions and remaining gaps in our understanding of the Rb : steel system.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1592416
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-142841
• Journal Information: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Vol. 530
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

krypton
corrosion
steel
Rubidium