Electrochemical Studies On Corrosion of Alloy 22 Weld And Metal In Aqueous KCl and Na2SO4 Electrolytes

Abstract

Long term durability of alloy 22 weld between the lid and the alloy 22 metal container with High Level Nuclear Waste, in the corrosive environment of Yucca Mountain Repository (YMR) for thousands of years remains a challenge. The different modes of corrosion and rates of corrosion of the alloy 22 weld and the alloy 22 metal in the aqueous electrolytes were electrochemically studied to provide a comparison of the relative propensity of the weld and the metal to corrode in moist chloride environment. Potentiodynamic (PD) Polarization data along with analytical techniques and the Stern Gerlach theory were used to estimate rates of corrosion for both alloy 22 weld and the alloy 22 metal. The studies reported here raise very serious concerns on the long term durability of the welded shut containers in the YMR environment.