Abstract
The combined influence of gamma radiation (10 Gy/h) and high temperature (150°C) on the corrosion of the promising HLW container material Ti99.8-Pd was investigated in an MgCl2-rich brine, and the corrosion surface films formed were characterized by XPS. For comparison, specimens without irradiation were also examined.
Under the test conditions used, the alloy Ti99.8-Pd is resistant to local corrosion and its general corrosion is negligible low. The thin corrosion films formed on the surface of unirradiated specimens and in the crevices of specimens exposed to radiation consist of TiO2. However, outside the crevices of irradiated specimens, a surface layer consisting of Mg (main component of the brine) and Si (impurity in the brine) oxide is built up over the TiO2 layer. Comparable TiO2 layer thicknesses (30 - 65 nm, depending on the experimental conditions) are found for unirradiated and irradiated laboratory specimens. The TiO2 layer formed on the in-situ corrosion specimens (33 nm / 5.3 years) is thinner than that of the laboratory specimens (58 nm / 191 days) indicating less aggressive conditions in the field experiments. In view of these results, the alloy Ti99.8-Pd continues to be considered as a strong candidate container material and will be further investigated.
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Acknowledgement
The authors wish to thank Mrs. R. Weiler and Mr. B. Fiehn for the technical assistance, and the Commission of the European Union, Brussels, Belgium, for financial supporting this work.
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Smailos, E., Schild, D. & Gompper, K. Corrosion of Ti99.8-Pd Under Gamma Irradiation in MgC12-Rich Brine. MRS Online Proceedings Library 506, 477–484 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-506-477
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-506-477