Even though the interest in the corrosion of radwaste tanks goes back to the mid-1940 1 5 when waste storage was begun, and a fair amount of corrosion work has been done since then, the changes in processes and waste types have outpaced the development of new data pertinent to the new double shell tanks. As a consequence, Pacific Northwest laboratory {PNL) began a development of corrosion data on a broad base of waste compositions in 1980. The objective of the program was to provide operations personnel with corrosion rate data as a function of waste temperature and composition. The work performed in this program examined A-537 tank steel in Double Shell Slurry and Future PUREX Wastes, at temperatures between 40 and 180°C as well as in Hanford Facilities Waste at 25 and 50°C. In general, the corrosion rates were less than 1 mpy (0.001 inch/yr) and usually less than 0.5 mpy. Excessive corrosion rates (> 1 mpy) were only found in dilute waste compositions or in concentrated caustic compositions at temperatures above 140°C. Stress corrosion cracking was only observed under similar conditions. The results are presented as polynomial prediction equations with examples of the output of existing computer codes. The codes are not provided in the text but are available from the authors.

The contribution of D. J. Bates and W. M. Bowen to the program and the report are gratefully acknowledged.

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