Control of stress corrosion cracking in storage tanks containing radioactive waste
At the Savannah River Plant, stress corrosion of carbon steel storage tanks containing alkaline nitrate radioactive waste is controlled by specification of limits on waste composition and temperature. Actual cases of cracking have occurred in the primary steel shell of tanks designed and built before 1960 and were attributed to a combination of high residual stresses from fabrication welding and aggressiveness of fresh wastes from the reactor fuel reprocessing plants. The fresh wastes have the highest concentration of nitrate, which has been shown to be the cracking agent. Also, as the waste solutions age and are reduced in volume by evaporation of water, nitrite and hydroxide ions become more concentrated and inhibit stress corrosion. Thus, by providing a heel of aged evaporated waste in tanks that receive fresh waste, concentrations of the inhibitor ions are maintained within specified ranges to protect against nitrate cracking. Tanks designed and built since 1960 have been made of steels with greater resistance to stress corrosion; these tanks have also been heat treated after fabrication to relieve residual stresses from construction operations. Temperature limits are also specified to protect against stress corrosion at elevated temperatures.
- Research Organization:
- E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Aiken, SC
- OSTI ID:
- 5955043
- Journal Information:
- Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 44:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CARBON STEELS
CORROSION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
TANKS
HYDROXIDES
NITRATES
NITRITES
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
STRESS CORROSION
ALLOYS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAINERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
STEELS
STORAGE
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage