THE CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF 3.5 w/o NATURAL URANIUM-ZIRCONIUM BASE FUEL ALLOY

Technical Report · Tue Jun 16 04:00:00 EDT 1959

OSTI ID:4206479

Brush, E G; Campagnoni, R E; Powers, M A

Tests were conducted to determine the corrosion behavior of 3.5 weight per cent (natural) uranium--zirconium base fuel alloy as a function of heat treatment and test water medium. Ten heat treatments and three water media were involved A comparison of method of surface treatment was also evaluated. The results indicate that there were no significant differences in the corrosion behavior of the alloy among the three water treatments. They also indicate that the effect of surface treatment upon weight change was insignificant, except in the case of one heat treatment. The heat treatments may be classified in order of decreasing corrosion resistance as follows: (1) rapidly quenched; (2) slowly cooled from 800 deg C; (3) furnace cooled from 950 deg C; and (4) air cooled from 950 deg C. From the 950 deg C heat treating temperature (above the transformation range), it appears that furnace ccoling produces a more corrosion resistant alloy than air cooling, while from 800 deg C (below the transformation range) no difference in corrosion rates is evident between furnace and air cooling. Analytical expressions for the corrosion behavior of each heat treatment are presented. (auth)

• Research Organization: Knolls Atomic Power Lab., Schenectady, N.Y.
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-52
• NSA Number: NSA-13-020159
• OSTI ID: 4206479
• Report Number(s): KAPL-M-REC-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AIR
COOLING
CORROSION
FUELS
FURNACES
HEAT TREATMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
MATERIALS TESTING
METALLURGY AND CERAMICS
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUENCHING
STABILITY
SURFACES
URANIUM ALLOYS
WATER
WEIGHT
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS