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Title: 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 ·
OSTI ID:4051495

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
DOE Contract Number:
AT(11-1)-73
NSA Number:
NSA-15-014659
OSTI ID:
4051495
Report Number(s):
TID-11933
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English