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Title: Corrosion Evaluation of Aluminum Alloys in Deionized Water

Abstract

Spent nuclear fuels from foreign and domestic research and test reactors being returned to SRS are now stored with other nuclear materials in the L-basin at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Recent efforts have consolidated the fuel storage systems and L-basin has become the SRS site for water storage of spent nuclear fuels. Corrosion surveillance of coupons in this basin is being performed to provide assurance of safe storage of spent fuel. This paper describes the highlights of recent studies on these aluminum coupons after immersion for more than 7 years in L-basin. Selected coupons were metallurgically characterized to establish the existence of general corrosion and pitting. Pitting was observed on galvanically coupled samples and also on intentionally creviced coupons, thus demonstrating that localized concentration cells were formed during the exposure period. In these cases, the susceptibility to pitting was not attributed to aggressive basin water chemistry but to local condition s (crevices and galvanic coupling) that allowed the development of oxygen and/or metal ion concentration cells that produced locally aggressive waters. General corrosion was also observed on some of the coupons that had not been treated to enhance the protective oxide prior to exposure in the basin water. Thesemore » observations demonstrate that, even when the basin water chemistry is rigorously controlled, localized aggressive conditions can develop. Although this demonstration does not suggest significant deterioration of the stored spent nuclear fuels, it does illustrate the potential for corrosion induced degradation and thus the importance of a routine surveillance program.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
US Department of Energy (US)
OSTI Identifier:
834246
Report Number(s):
WSRC-MS-2004-00654
TRN: US0407080
DOE Contract Number:  
AC09-96SR18500
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: NACE Corrosion/2005, Houston, TX (US), 04/03/2005--04/07/2005; Other Information: PBD: 24 Sep 2004
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; ALLOYS; ALUMINIUM; CORROSION; EVALUATION; NUCLEAR FUELS; OXIDES; OXYGEN; RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS; SPENT FUELS; STORAGE; WATER; WATER CHEMISTRY; ALUMINUM; DEIONIZED WATER; GALVANIC CORROSION; PITTING CORROSION; AL 1100; AL 6061; AL 6063,SAVANNAH RIVER SITE; SRS; SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY; SRNL

Citation Formats

VORMELKER, PHILIPR. Corrosion Evaluation of Aluminum Alloys in Deionized Water. United States: N. p., 2004. Web.
VORMELKER, PHILIPR. Corrosion Evaluation of Aluminum Alloys in Deionized Water. United States.
VORMELKER, PHILIPR. 2004. "Corrosion Evaluation of Aluminum Alloys in Deionized Water". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/834246.
@article{osti_834246,
title = {Corrosion Evaluation of Aluminum Alloys in Deionized Water},
author = {VORMELKER, PHILIPR},
abstractNote = {Spent nuclear fuels from foreign and domestic research and test reactors being returned to SRS are now stored with other nuclear materials in the L-basin at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Recent efforts have consolidated the fuel storage systems and L-basin has become the SRS site for water storage of spent nuclear fuels. Corrosion surveillance of coupons in this basin is being performed to provide assurance of safe storage of spent fuel. This paper describes the highlights of recent studies on these aluminum coupons after immersion for more than 7 years in L-basin. Selected coupons were metallurgically characterized to establish the existence of general corrosion and pitting. Pitting was observed on galvanically coupled samples and also on intentionally creviced coupons, thus demonstrating that localized concentration cells were formed during the exposure period. In these cases, the susceptibility to pitting was not attributed to aggressive basin water chemistry but to local condition s (crevices and galvanic coupling) that allowed the development of oxygen and/or metal ion concentration cells that produced locally aggressive waters. General corrosion was also observed on some of the coupons that had not been treated to enhance the protective oxide prior to exposure in the basin water. These observations demonstrate that, even when the basin water chemistry is rigorously controlled, localized aggressive conditions can develop. Although this demonstration does not suggest significant deterioration of the stored spent nuclear fuels, it does illustrate the potential for corrosion induced degradation and thus the importance of a routine surveillance program.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/834246}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 24 00:00:00 EDT 2004},
month = {Fri Sep 24 00:00:00 EDT 2004}
}

Conference:
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