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Corrosion testing of type 304L stainless steel in tuff groundwater environments

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/60366· OSTI ID:60366

The stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of Type 304L stainless steel (SS) to elevated temperatures in tuff rock and tuff groundwater environments was determined under irradiated and nonirradiated conditions using U-bend specimens and slow-strain-rate tests. The steel was tested both in the solution-annealed condition and after sensitization heat treatments. The material was found to be susceptible to SCC in both the solution-annealed and solution-annealed-and-sensitized conditions when exposed to an irradiated crushed tuff rock environment containing air and water vapor at 90{sup 0}C. A similar exposure at 50{sup 0}C did not result in failure after a 25-month test duration. Specimens of sensitized 304 SS conditioned with a variety of sensitization heat treatments resisted failure during a test of 1-year duration in which a nonirradiated environment of tuff rock and groundwater held at 200{sup 0}C was allowed to boil to dryness on a cyclical basis. All specimens of sensitized 304 SS exposed to this environment failed. Slow-strain-rate studies were performed on 304L, 304, and 316L SS specimens. The 304L SS was tested in J-13 well water at 150{sup 0}C, and the 316L SS at 95{sup 0}C. Neither material showed evidence of SCC in these tests. Sensitized 304 SS did exhibit SCC in J-13 well water in tests conducted at 150{sup 0}C. 12 refs., 27 figs., 13 tabs.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
60366
Report Number(s):
UCRL--21005; SANL--616-007; PNL--5829; ON: DE88006242
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English