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U.S. Department of Energy
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Steam-generator dilute chemical-cleaning program. Steam-generator chemical-cleaning project. Annual report, program start through 1980

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6978807· OSTI ID:6978807
Vertical U-tube steam generators in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) operating an All Volatile Treatment (AVT) secondary chemistry have experienced corrosion problems, particularly denting and sludges. The studies reported evaluate the feasibility of using a low-concentration (0.5 wt%) chemical cleaning process to remove corrosion product deposits from steam generator surfaces and magnetite from tube-to-support plate crevices of PWR steam generators. The process potentially may be applied at schedule intervals, such as during normal refueling outages, to maintain a steam generator in clean operating condition. This report describes the results of testing to evaluate the effectiveness of several chelant acids for dissolving steam generator sludges and crevice magnetite. Corrosion of carbon steel by the chelant acids and the effects of various inhibitors are evaluated. The effectiveness of ion-exchange regeneration of several chelant-based solvents is also addressed. 10 figures, 12 tables.
Research Organization:
UNC Nuclear Industries, Inc., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-79ET34015
OSTI ID:
6978807
Report Number(s):
DOE/ET/34015-1; ON: DE83001708
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English