Abstract
Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) is the candidate material for the corrosion barrier of the double-wall waste package (WP) for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. A probabilistic temperature-dependent general corrosion model for the WP outer barrier (WPOB) was developed based on the 5-year weight-loss measurements of Alloy 22 crevice samples. The 5-year corrosion rate distribution is represented by a Weibull distribution, with scale factor s = 8.88, shape factor b = 1.62, and location factor l = 0. The temperature-dependence of the general corrosion rate was modeled using an Arrhenius relation. An activation energy of 25.91 ± 2.46 kJ/mol was determined from the corrosion rates obtained from the short-term polarization resistance data for Alloy 22 specimens tested for a wide range of sample configurations, metallurgical conditions, and exposure conditions (temperature and water chemistry). Analysis of the data from the current study and the literature indicates that the activation energies of general corrosion rate of highly corrosion resistant Ni-Cr-Mo alloys including Alloy 22 are similar and do not change significantly, as the general corrosion rate decreases with the exposure time.
The 5-year corrosion rates were conservatively selected for extrapolation over the repository time scale. Because of very low general corrosion rates of the WPOB for the conditions expected in the proposed repository, the WP performance will not be limited by general corrosion for the repository regulatory time period. The current conservative approach for the constant (time-independent) general corrosion rate at a given temperature provides an additional confidence for the general corrosion model.
