Direct observation of the reaction of H 2 O 2 at the surface of stainless steel was performed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in high-purity water at 288 °C. From this, the corrosive conditions and behavior of stainless steel in hightemperature and high-purity water containing H 2 O 2 were determined. The results obtained could be summarized as follows: 1) The EIS data were directly measured in high-temperature water without electrolyte injection.2) The conductivity of the high-temperature water at 288 °C, calculated by R sol , was 8.3 × 10 -6 S/cm. 3) R p was 9.0 × 10 3 ohm·cm 2 for 100 ppb of injected H 2 O 2 , and the estimated corrosion rate was about 30 μm/year. 4) The reciprocal of the polarization resistance had a linear relationship with the H 2 O 2 concentration, indicating that the corrosion current is determined by the cathodic reaction of H 2 O 2 . 5) The estimated D H2O2 was 1.5 × 10 -4 cm 2 /s.
IntroductionGeneral corrosion of structural materials is a particularly important issue to be addressed for the optimization of water chemistry control in nuclear power plants (1). Oxygen (O 2 ) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) co-exist as oxidants produced by radiolysis of high-purity and high-temperature water, as found in boiling water reactors (BWRs) (2). Many electrochemical approaches have been adopted to evaluate the corrosion mechanism of stainless steel in high-temperature water that contains O 2 and an electrolyte to increase its conductivity (3,4). The reactor coolant is maintained in a state of high purity by water chemistry control, and H 2 O 2 (oxidant) formed by water radiolysis exists in the reactor coolant of BWRs. Therefore, knowledge of the electrochemical behavior of stainless steel in high-temperature water can be gathered by simulating the corrosive environment in a BWR reactor coolant (i.e., a high-purity environment with H 2 O 2 ). In this manner, we can evaluate the mechanism of corrosion of stainless steel in BWRs.In this study, the electrochemical reaction of H 2 O 2 at the surface of stainless steel in high-purity water at 288 °C was observed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). From this, the corrosive conditions and behavior of stainless steel in hightemperature and high-purity water containing H 2 O 2 were determined.