Corrosion at the liquid air interface (LAI) could pose threat on the integrity of nuclear waste storage tanks. However, a clear understanding on the initiation mechanism of LAI corrosion is still lacking. This research aimed to identify the key factors, which make the A537 steel susceptible to LAI corrosion and possibly further the understanding of LAI corrosion mechanism. A novel approach was applied to extract the solution in the meniscus region and nitrate/nitrite concentrations were analyzed subsequently. The susceptibility of A537 steel to crevice corrosion was also evaluated due to the similarity of crevice corrosion to LAI corrosion in that the corrosion propagated in a locally aggressive chemistry. Attempts were made to develop an engineering approach to rapidly evaluate the propensity of nuclear waste tank material to LAI corrosion in various waste simulants.

Subject
Test methods, Materials, Liquid air interface corrosion, Nitrites, Corrosion initiation, Bulk solution, Solution chemistry, Crevices, Nitrates, Solutions, Crevice corrosion, Steel, Electrodes
Keywords:
Liquid-air-interface (LAI) corrosion, Crevice corrosion, Nuclear waste simulant, A537 carbon steel
© 2011 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
2011
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
You do not currently have access to this content.