Effect of sulfuric acid, oxygen, and hydrogen in high-temperature water on stress corrosion cracking of sensitized Type 304 stainless steel
The influence of dissolved oxygen and hydrogen and dilute sulfuric acid in 289/sup 0/C water on the stress-corrosion-cracking susceptibility of lightly and moderately sensitized Type 304 stainless steel was determined in constant-extension-rate tensile (CERT) tests. The CERT parameters and the fracture surface morphologies were correlated with the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and sulfate, and the electrochemical potentials of platinum and Type 304 stainless steel electrodes in simulated boiling-water reactor (BWR) environments. A particularly high susceptibility to intergranular cracking was found for the steel in the lightly sensitized condition at oxygen concentrations between approx. 0.05 and 0.2 ppM under slightly acidic conditions (pH approx. 6.0 at 25/sup 0/C), which may, in part, account for the pervasive nature of intergranular cracking in BWR piping systems. Scanning-transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed significant differences between samples in the lightly and the moderately sensitized condition with respect to the width, but not the depth, of the chromium-depleted region at the grain boundaries. The addition of 0.5 ppM hydrogen to the water had only a small mitigating effect on intergranular cracking in water containing oxygen and sulfuric acid at low concentrations; however, oxygen suppression to less than or equal to 0.05 ppM in the reactor-coolant water, by means of hydrogen additions to the feedwater, would be quite beneficial provided impurities are also maintained at very low levels.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 5349309
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-830445-5-Rev.; ON: DE84007276
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Corrosion '83 conference, Anaheim, CA, USA, 18 Apr 1983; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BWR TYPE REACTORS
STRESS CORROSION
STAINLESS STEEL-304
HYDROGEN
INTERGRANULAR CORROSION
OXYGEN
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SULFURIC ACID
ALLOYS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM STEELS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
CORROSION
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
NICKEL ALLOYS
NONMETALS
REACTORS
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
210100* - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
360105 - Metals & Alloys- Corrosion & Erosion