Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T23:26:12.051Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Waste container durability: monitoring of a stainless steel 4 metre box over 12 years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

N. R. Smart ,
R. J. Winsley ,
P. A. H. Fennell ,
B. Reddy ,
A. P. Rance  and
C. Padovani
N. R. Smart*
Affiliation:
AMEC, Building 150, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QB, UK
R. J. Winsley
Affiliation:
NDA Harwell RWMD, B587, Curie Avenue, Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RH, UK
P. A. H. Fennell
Affiliation:
AMEC, Building 150, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QB, UK
B. Reddy
Affiliation:
AMEC, Building 150, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QB, UK
A. P. Rance
Affiliation:
AMEC, Building 150, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QB, UK
C. Padovani
Affiliation:
AMEC, Building 150, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QB, UK
*
*E-mail: nick.smart@amec.com
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In the UK, most intermediate level radioactive waste is packaged in stainless steel containers. It is important that containers should maintain their integrity for extended periods of storage prior to final disposal. A prototype 4 metre box fabricated from 304S11 stainless steel was monitored at an inland rural building for over twelve years to gain experience in monitoring environmental conditions and corrosion during storage. A wide range of different types of aerosol particles were observed on the surfaces and in the air. They contained corrosive ions such as chloride, as well as other anions such as sulfate and nitrate. The chloride deposition rate was between 0.1 and 4 μg cm−2 yr−1 depending on the orientation and location of the surface, with a chloride/sulfate ratio ranging from ∼0.3–2. The temperature and relative humidity typically ranged from 0–30°C and 40–90%, respectively. The greatest degree of corrosion developed on the base of the box, which had elevated chloride concentrations (10–140 μg cm−2). However, there was little evidence of corrosion propagation on the surface of the box and no evidence of stress corrosion cracking. The average pit propagation rates on a 316L coupon mounted next to the 4 m box were <1 μm yr−1.

Keywords

radioactive waste containerstorageatmosphericcorrosionenvironmentmonitoring
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 76 , Issue 8 , December 2012 , pp. 2891 - 2899
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
© [2012] The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2012

References

Albores-Silva, O. (2011) Atmospheric Stress Corrosion Cracking and Pitting of Austenitic Stainless Steel. Unpublished PhD thesis, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.Google Scholar
Albores-Silva, O., Charles, E.A. and Padovani, C. (2011) Effect of chloride deposition on stress corrosion behaviour of 316L stainless steel used for intermediate level radioactive waste containers. Corrosion Engineering, Science an. Technology, 46, 124–128.Google Scholar
ASTM (2012) Standard Practice for Measurement of Time-of-Wetness on Surface Exposed to Wetting Conditions as in Atmospheric Corrosion Testing. ASTM G 84–89. ASTM International, West Conshohocken , Pennsylvania, USA.Google Scholar
International Organization for Standardization (1992) ISO 9223:1992. Corrosion of Metal and Alloys - Corrosivity of Atmosphere: Classification. International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva, Switzerland.Google Scholar
Leygraf, C. and Graedel, T. (2000) Atmospheric Corrosion. Electrochemical Society Series. Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Nakata, M., Ono, N. and Usada, Y. (1997) State of stainless steel roofing in Okinawa and characteristics of corrosion resistance in atmosphere of various stainless steels. Corrosio. Engineering, 46, 655–666.Google Scholar
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (2010) Package Evolution Status Report. NDA Report NDA/ RWMD/031.Google Scholar
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (2011) Industry Guidance - Interim Storage of Higher Activity Waste Packages (Integrated Approach).Google Scholar
Phan, D., Cook, A., Sherry, A. and Lyon, S. (2008) Atmospheric-induced stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steels for nuclear waste containers. NACE 17th International Corrosion Congress. NACE International, Houston, USA.Google Scholar
Raude, A. and Rudlin, J. (2009) Inspection of Stored Waste Containers. TWI Report 16991/1-309.Google Scholar
Shoji, S. and Ohnaka, N. (1989) Effects of relative humidity and chloride type on stainless-steel roomtemperature atmospheric stress corrosion cracking. Corrosion Engineering, 38, 111–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tochihara, M., Ujiro, T., Yazawa, Y. and Satoh, S. (1996) Atmospheric corrosion of stainless steels used for the eaves of buildings. Materials Performance, 35, 58–62.Google Scholar
Winsley, R.J., Smart, N.R., Reddy, B., Rance, A.P. and Fennell, P.A.H. (2011) 4 Metre Box Monitoring Programme - Final Report. Serco Report SERCO/ TCS/006028.01/Issue1.Google Scholar