RETRACTED ARTICLE: Consideration on application of empirical corrosion rate model of Zircaloy at 280–400°C to deep underground temperature

Abstract

Corrosion tests were conducted using Zircaloy-4 specimens in deaerated and deionised water at 180uC by both a hydrogen generation rate method and a weight gain measurement method in order to confirm applicability of an empirical corrosion rate model at 280-400uC to a lower temperature. The corroded Zircaloy surface was characterised to be a thin crystalline ZrO 2 film. The corrosion depth of Zircaloy grew in accordance with a cubic rate law in the same way as at 280-400uC and at 80-120uC. The cubic rate corrosion constants at 180uC fell on the linear interpolation between 280-400uC and 80-120uC on the Arrhenius plot. The good fit of the data and the fact that a very similar activation energy is observed suggest that the same corrosion mechanism is occurring over the temperature range 80-400uC and the empirical corrosion rate model of Zircaloy at the higher temperature would be applicable to the lower temperature range.