Characterisation of oxide films formed on Alloy 600 in simulated PWR primary water

Combined effect of gamma-radiation and pH on corrosion of Ni–Cr–Fe alloy inconel 600

“…The relative intensities of the Ni-2p, Cr-2p and Fe-2p peaks in the XPS survey spectra obtained at different pHs and radiation environments are shown in Fig. 5 [4][5][6][7][8]32,33,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55]. At pH 10.6 the enrichment ratio for Cr is lower and that for Fe is higher in the presence of radiation compared to those in the absence of radiation.…”

“…Deposition of radioactive materials on coolant system components outside of the biological shielding of the reactor core creates a potential source of radiation exposure for plant workers. Nickel-chromiumiron alloys such as Inconel 600 are known for their high resistance to corrosion and are used for thin-walled heat exchanger tubing in the steam generators in nuclear power plants [4][5][6][7][8]. The tubing is exposed to gamma-radiation (emitted from the fission products and neutron activation products).…”

“…It may consist of a graded series of different oxides with one of more metal ions incorporated into the oxide lattice structure. Although oxide film formation on Inconel 600 has been investigated extensively [4][5][6][7][8][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43], most of these studies were performed over a limited range of environmental conditions. For example, oxide film formation has been studied in neutral pH water at 325 • C [32], in highly acidic and basic solutions at 350 • C and 320 • C [33], respectively and in pure water at 288 • C [5].…”