The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of two multiphase alloys representing waste forms made with 316 L stainless steel and different amounts of surrogate metallic fuel wastes were measured and related to the microstructures. Potentiodynamic (PD) scans were performed in an acid brine solution and the corroded surfaces were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to compare the electrochemical responses to the corrosion of specific phases. PD scans for the two multiphase alloys, 316 L stainless steel, and pure palladium were compared to understand the complex corrosion behavior of these multiphase alloys also recently classified as multi principle element alloys (MPEAs) and to determine the effects of alloying elements and noble metals present in constituent phases on the corrosion behavior.
Three alloys were made to represent waste forms for ZIRLO® cladding and metallic fuel wastes by alloying ZIRLO® and a surrogate metallic fuel waste mixture with various amounts of Inconel 718, 304 stainless steel, trim chromium, and trim copper. The objective was to establish if metallic wastes that contain ZIRLO® can be manufactured into durable waste forms for geological repository. Specimens were metallurgically characterized and subjected to electrochemical tests to assess their corrosion resistance. Tests were conducted in acidic and alkaline electrolytes prepared with and without NaCl to simulate ranges of environmental redox and chemical conditions that could occur within a breached waste package in a disposal facility. The microstructures and potentiodynamic scans of these alloys are presented. Surface analyses after the potentiodynamic scans indicate intermetallics enriched in iron, nickel, and copper corroded at relatively low potentials in Cl− solutions and were less durable than the zirconium-chromium phases.
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