Progress report on the results of testing advanced conceptual design metal barrier materials under relevant environmental conditions for a tuff repository
This report discusses the performance of candidate metallic materials envisioned for fabricating waste package containers for long-term disposal at a possible geological repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Candidate materials include austenitic iron-base to nickel-base alloy (AISI 304L, AISI 316L, and Alloy 825), high-purity copper (CDA 102), and copper-base alloys (CDA 613 and CDA 715). Possible degradation modes affecting these container materials are identified in the context of anticipated environmental conditions at the repository site. Low-temperature oxidation is the dominant degradation mode over most of the time period of concern (minimum of 300 yr to a maximum of 1000 yr after repository closure), but various forms of aqueous corrosion will occur when water infiltrates into the near-package environment. The results of three years of experimental work in different repository-relevant environments are presented. Much of the work was performed in water taken from Well J-13, located near the repository, and some of the experiments included gamma irradiation of the water or vapor environment. The influence of metallurgical effects on the corrosion and oxidation resistance of the material is reviewed; these effects result from container fabrication, welding, and long-term aging at moderately elevated temperatures in the repository. The report indicates the need for mechanisms to understand the physical/chemical reactions that determine the nature and rate of the different degradation modes, and the subsequent need for models based on these mechanisms for projecting the long-term performance of the container from comparatively short-term laboratory data. 91 refs., 17 figs., 16 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 60370
- Report Number(s):
- UCID-21044; ON: DE88005272; TRN: 88:009704
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Dec 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
CONTAINERS
MATERIALS TESTING
GROUND WATER
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
CORROSION
NICKEL BASE ALLOYS
COPPER BASE ALLOYS
COPPER ALLOYS
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
NEVADA
TUFF
PROGRESS REPORT
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CRACKING
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
Yucca Mountain Project