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

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7079478· OSTI ID:7079478

Gdowski, G E; Bullen, D B ^[1]

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

Six alloys are being considered as possible materials for the fabrication of containers for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Three of these candidate materials are copper-based alloys: CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper), CDA 613 (Cu-7Al), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni). The other three are iron- to nickel-based austenitic materials: Types 304L and 316L stainless steels and Alloy 825. Radioactive waste will include spent-fuel assemblies from reactors as well as waste in borosilicate glass and will be sent to the prospective site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal. The waste-package containers must maintain substantially complete containment for at least 300 yr and perhaps as long as 1000 yr. During the first 50 yr after emplacement, the containers must be retrievable from the disposal site. Shortly after emplacement of the containers in the repository, they will be exposed to high temperatures and high gamma radiation fields from the decay of high-level waste. This radiation will promote the radiolytic decomposition of moist air to hydrogen. This volume surveys the available data on the effects of hydrogen on the six candidate alloys for fabrication of the containers. For copper, the mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement is discussed, and the effects of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of the copper-based alloys are reviewed. The solubilities and diffusivities of hydrogen are documented for these alloys. For the austenitic materials, the degradation of mechanical properties by hydrogen is documented. The diffusivity and solubility of hydrogen in these alloys are also presented. For the copper-based alloys, the ranking according to resistance to detrimental effects of hydrogen is: CDA 715 (best) > CDA 613 > CDA 102 (worst). For the austenitic alloys, the ranking is: Type 316L stainless steel {approx} Alloy 825 > Type 304L stainless steel (worst). 87 refs., 19 figs., 8 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/RW
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7079478
• Report Number(s): UCID-21362-Vol.6; ON: DE90006362
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ALLOYS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
CASKS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL-MOLYBDENUM STEELS
CONTAINERS
COPPER ALLOYS
COPPER BASE ALLOYS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
ELONGATION
EMBRITTLEMENT
FRACTURE MECHANICS
HEAT RES
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LOW CA
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICS
MOLYBDENUM ALLOYS
NICKEL ALLOYS
PERMEABILITY
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SOLUBILITY
SPENT FUEL CASKS
STAINLESS STEEL-304L
STAINLESS STEEL-316L
STAINLESS STEELS
STEEL-CR17NI12MO3-L
STEEL-CR19NI10-L
STEELS
STORAGE
TENSILE PROPERTIES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES