Survey of degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers

Technical Report · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7025064· OSTI ID:7025064

Bullen, D B; Gdowski, G E ^[1]

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1. Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., Pleasanton, CA (USA)

Three copper-based alloys and three iron- to nickel-based austenitic alloys are being considered as possible materials for fabrication of high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers. The waste will include spent fuel assemblies from reactors as well as high-level waste in borosilicate glass and will be sent to the prospective site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal. The copper-based alloy materials are CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper), CDA 613 (Cu-7Al), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni). The austenitic materials are Types 304L and 316L stainless steels and Alloy 825. The waste-package containers must maintain substantially complete containment for at least 300 yr and perhaps as long as 1000 yr, and they must be retrievable from the disposal site during the first 50 yr after emplacement. The containers will be exposed to high temperatures and high gamma radiation fields from the decay of high-level waste. This volume surveys the available data on the phase stability of both groups of candidate alloys. The austenitic alloys are reviewed in terms of the physical metallurgy of the iron-chromium-nickel system, martensite transformations, carbide formation, and intermetallic-phase precipitation. The copper-based alloys are reviewed in terms of their phase equilibria and the possibility of precipitation of the minor alloying constituents. For the austenitic materials, the ranking based on phase stability is: Alloy 825 (best), Type 316L stainless steel, and then Type 304L stainless steel (worst). For the copper-based materials, the ranking is: CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper) (best), and then both CDA 715 and CDA 613. 75 refs., 24 figs., 6 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/RW
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7025064
• Report Number(s): UCID-21362-Vol.1; ON: DE90006335
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ALLOYS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CASKS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL-MOLYBDENUM STEELS
CONTAINERS
COPPER ALLOYS
COPPER BASE ALLOYS
CORROSION
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
DIAGRAMS
HEAT RES
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INTERGRANULAR CORROSION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LOW CA
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MOLYBDENUM ALLOYS
NICKEL ALLOYS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PHASE STABILITY
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PRECIPITATION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUEL CASKS
STABILITY
STAINLESS STEEL-304L
STAINLESS STEEL-316L
STAINLESS STEELS
STEEL-CR17NI12MO3-L
STEEL-CR19NI10-L
STEELS
STORAGE
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES