• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.343-354
• /
• 2012

Primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) is a major safety concern in the nuclear power industry worldwide. PWSCC is known to initiate only in the condition in which sufficiently high tensile stress is applied to alloy 600 tube material or alloy 82/182 weld material in pressurized water reactor operating environments. However, it is still uncertain how much tensile stress is re-quired to generate PWSCC or what causes such high tensile stress. This study was performed to pre-dict the magnitude of weld residual stress and operating stress and compare it with previous experi-mental results for PWSCC initiation. For the study, a pressurizer safety nozzle was selected because it is reported to be vulnerable to PWSCC in overseas plants. The assessment was conducted by nu-merical analysis. Before performing stress analysis for plant conditions, a preliminary mock-up ana-lysis was done. The result of the preliminary analysis was validated by residual stress measurement in the mock-up. After verification of the analysis methodology, an analysis under plant conditions was conducted. The analysis results show that the stress level is not high enough to initiate PWSCC. If a plant is properly welded and operated, PWSCC is not likely to occur in the pressurizer safety nozzle.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.301-312
• /
• 2015

Corrosion of zirconium fuel cladding is known to limit the lifetime and reloading cycles of fuel in nuclear reactors. Oxide layers formed on ZIRLO4^{TM}$ cladding samples, after immersion for 300-hour and 50-day in a simulated primary water chemistry condition ($360^{\circ}C$ and 20 MPa), were analyzed by using the scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), in-situ transmission electron microscopy (in-situ TEM) with the focused ion beam (FIB) technique, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Both samples (immersion for 300 hours and 50 days) revealed the presence of the ZrO sub-oxide phase at the metal/oxide interface and columnar grains developed perpendicularly to the metal/oxide interface. Voids and micro-cracks were also detected near the water/oxide interface, while relatively large lateral cracks were found just above the less advanced metal/oxide interface. Equiaxed grains were mainly observed near the water/oxide interface.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.1060-1068
• /
• 2019

This work aims to establish a model of a primary water stress corrosion crack growth rate of Alloy 690 material for the head penetration nozzles of Korean pressurized water reactors. The test material had an inhomogeneous microstructure with bands of fine-grains and intragranular carbides in the matrix of coarse-grains, which was similar to the archive materials of the head penetration nozzles. The crack growth rate was measured from the strain-hardened materials as a function of the stress intensity factor in simulated primary water at various temperatures and dissolved hydrogen contents. The effects of strain-hardening, temperature, and dissolved hydrogen on the crack growth rate were analyzed independently, and were then introduced as normalizing factors in the crack growth rate model. The crack growth rate model proposed in this work provides a key element of the tools needed to assess the progress of a stress corrosion crack when detected in thick-wall Alloy 690 components in Korean reactors.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.443-450
• /
• 2023

SiC/SiC_f CMC is vulnerable to water vapor corrosion at a high temperature of 1500℃. So, EBC (Environmental Barrier Coating) materials are required to protect Si-based CMCs. Ytterbium silicates are reported to have coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) similar to that of the base material, such as SiC/SiC_f CMC. When the EBC are materials exposed to high temperature environment, the interface between ytterbium silicates and SiC/SiC_f CMC is not separated, and the coating purpose can be safely achieved. For the perspective of EBC applications, thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer with different CTE is formed by the reaction with water vapor in EBC, which leads to a decrease in life time. In this study, we prepare two types of ytterbium silicates to observe the corrosion behavior during the expose to high temperature and water vapor. In order to observe this behavior, the steam-jet furnace is prepared. In addition, phase formation of these ytterbium silicates is analyzed with microstructures by the before/after steam-jet evaluation at 1500℃ for 100 h.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.391-396
• /
• 2004

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.11a
• /
• pp.76.1-76.1
• /
• 2010

Recently, many efforts to solve the durability problem of PEM fuel cell are carried on constantly. However, despite this attention, durability researches of gas diffusion layer (GDL) are not much reported yet. Generally, GDL of PEM fuel cell experiences three external attacks, which are dissolution of water, erosion of gas flow, corrosion of electric potential. In this study, among these degradation factors, carbon corrosion of electric potential was focused and investigated with accelerated carbon corrosion test. Through the test, it is confirmed that carbon corrosion occurred at GDL, and corroded GDL decreased a performance of operating fuel cell. The property changes of GDL were measured with various methods such as air permeability meter, pore distribution analyzer, thermo gravimetric analyzer, and tensile stress test to discover the effects of carbon corrosion. Carbon corrosion caused not only loss of weight and thickness, but also degradation of mechanical strength of GDL. In addition, to analysis the reason of GDL property changes, a surface and a cross section of GDL were observed with scanning electron microscope. After 100 hours test, the GDL showed serious damage in center of layer.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.50-55
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate corrosion characteristics of Ti-xTa alloys with Ta contents. Ti-xTa alloys used as samples (x=30, 40%) were arc-melted under argon atmosphere of 99.9% purity. Ti-xTa alloys were homogenized for 12hr at $1000^{\circ}C$ and then water quenched. The surface characteristics of Ti-xTa alloys were investigated using optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The anodic corrosion behaviors of the specimens were examined through potentiodynamic, potentiostatic and galvanostatic test in 0.9 % NaCl solution at $36.5{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. After corrosion test, the surface characteristics of Ti-xTa alloys were investigated using OM. The microstructure of Ti-Ta alloy showed the beta structure with Ta content. The corrosion resistance of Ti alloy was improved by increasing Ta content and the corrosion morphology of Ti-Ta alloy showed that the site attacked by chloride ion decreased from the active to passive region with Ta content. Potential of Ti-40Ta alloy increased as time increased, whereas, current density of Ti-40Ta alloy decreased as time increased compared to Ti-30 alloy.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.129-137
• /
• 1994

This study was performed for the purpose of obtaining the fundamental data to establish the criterion of concrete deterioration and presuming steel corrosion of concrete structures under the environment of seawater. Steel embedded concrete specimens were exposed in seawater for 1year. The soluble chloride content in concrete, corrosion potential and steel corrosion were considered. The results show that soluble chloride content in concrete was decreased with lower water-cement ratio and with mineral admixtures. Half-cell potential is reduced with steel corrosion. Corrosion area ratio is correlative with half-cell potential.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.107-111
• /
• 2016

This paper presents electrochemical corrosion behaviors of cement mortar specimens in the high salinity condition. Chloride ion is known as the most detrimental parameter to cause the corrosion in reinforced concrete. Increasing the concrete cover thickness is one of the corrosion protection methods against chloride ion; so, this study mainly focuses on the effects of mortar cover thickness on corrosion protection. In specimens, rebar, which was a height of 200 mm and a diameter of 10 mm, was installed at the center of the small size form. Later on, mortar was injected into the form, and 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mm of the different mortar cover thicknesses were selected. Potential measurements, linear polarization resistance tests, and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed for specimens that were exposed to seawater. These results were compared with visual inspection results of rebar. The results show that an increase in the cover thickness contributes to corrosion protection. In addition, the result of electrochemical corrosion tests generally agreed with that of an autopsy visual inspection.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2011.11a
• /
• pp.89.1-89.1
• /
• 2011

The influence of potential and humidity on the electrochemical carbon corrosion in high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(HT-PEMFCs) is investigated by measuring $CO_2$ emission at different potentials for 30 min using on-line mass spectrometry. These results are compared with low tempterature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(LT-PEMFCs) operated at lower temperature and higher humidity condition. Although the HT-PEMFC is operated at non humidified condition, the emitted $CO_2$ in the condition of HT-PEMFC is more than LT-PEMFC at the same potential in carbon corrosion test. Thus, carbon corrosion shows a stronger positive correlation with the cell temperature. In addition, the presence of a little amount of water activate electrochemical carbon corrosion considerably in HT-PEMFC. With increased carbon corrosion, changes in fuel cell electrochemical characteristics become more noticeable and thereby indicate that such corrosion considerably affects fuel cell durability.