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Case Studies of Corrosion of Mixed Waste and Transuranic Waste Drums

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Stanley T. Kosiewicz
Stanley T. Kosiewicz*
Affiliation:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, PO Box 1663, MS K570Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
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Abstract

This paper presents three case studies of corrosion of waste drums at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Corrosion was not anticipated by the waste generators, but occurred because of subtle chemical or physical mechanisms. In one case, drums of a cemented transuranic (TRU) sludge experienced general and pitting corrosion. In the second instance, a chemical from a commercial paint stripper migrated from its primary containment drums to chemically attack overpack drums made of mild carbon steel. In the third case, drums of mixed low level waste (MLLW) soil corroded drum packaging even though the waste appeared to be dry when it was placed in the drums.

These case studies are jointly discussed as “lessons learned” to enhance awareness of subtle mechanisms that can contribute to the corrosion of radioactive waste drums during interim storage.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 333: Symposium V – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XVII , 1993 , 687
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

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References

REFERENCES

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