RATE OF DISSOLUTION, ELECTROCHEMICAL AND PASSIVATION STUDIES OF ALPHA ZIRCONIUM-OXYGEN SOLID SOLUTIONS IN HYDROFLUORIC ACID. Progress Report on CORROSION OF NUCLEAR METALS

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4051495

James, W J; Straumanis, M E; Custead, W G

Studies were conducted on the mechanism of dissolution of alpha solid solution specimens of oxygen in zirconium in HF--HCl mixtures. A rate order of one and an average activation energy of 4.7 kcal was found for Zr in ZrO/sub x/, ZrO, specimens dissolving in HF-HCl mixures exhibited a positive difference effect similar to that observed for zirconium and hafnium. The K values (mm/sup 3//ma min) increased with increasing oxygen content, suggesting that dissolved oxygen might be responsible for the remarkable anodic polarization of zirconium and related metals. The shiit toward noble potentials upon addition of Pt/sup 4+/ was in accord with the difference effect measurements. It is concluded that, as with zirconium and hafnium, the slow step is one of diffusion of molecular HF to the metal surface where the high rate of dissolution is due to direct chemical reaction outside of the action of local currents. (auth)

• Research Organization: Missouri. Univ., Rolla. School of Mines and Metallurgy
• NSA Number: NSA-15-014659
• OSTI ID: 4051495
• Report Number(s): TID-11933
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACTIVATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CORROSION
DIFFUSION
ENERGY
HAFNIUM
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
METALS
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
MIXING
OXYGEN
POLARIZATION
SOLIDS
SOLUTIONS
SURFACES
ZIRCONIUM
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES