Fundamental aspects of creating passivation layers for corrosion resistance in nuclear engineering applications, specifically the ability to form complete layers versus porous ones, are being explored in this study. Utilizing a laser ablation technique, 1,064 nm fire at 10 Hz with 60 pulses per shot and 0.5 mm between impact points, aluminum samples are treated in an attempt to create a fully formed passivation layer that will be tested in a LiCl-KCl eutectic salt. By placing these samples into an electrochemical environment mimicking a pyroprocessing system, corrosion rates, resistances and material characteristics are tested for one week and then compared between treated and untreated samples. In initial testing, linear sweep voltammetry indicates corrosion current density for the untreated sample at −0.038 mA·cm−2 and treated samples at −0.024 mA·cm−2 and −0.016 mA·cm−2, respectively. This correlates to a control sample corrosion rate of −0.205 mm·yr−1 and treated rates of −0.130 mm·yr−1 and −0.086 mm·yr−1 for samples 1 and 2. In addition, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy circuits show application of a longer-lasting porous passivation layer on the treated metal, compared to the naturally forming layer. However, the current technique fails to create a uniform protection layer across the sample.
The current study explores the possibility of graphene as a protective layer on the zinc substrate through an optimized electrophoretic deposition process. Graphene has been synthesized from H2SO4, HNO3, and HClO4 solutions by an electrochemical exfoliation route. This method is known for providing a scalable and economical approach to the synthesis of graphene. The exfoliated graphene nano-sheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible, and field emission scanning electron microscope to evaluate its properties. The three different synthesized forms of graphene nano-sheets were electrophoretically deposited onto Zn substrates at two different potentials. Scratch testing was employed to check the adhesion quality of the coatings. The corrosion behaviour of Zn and graphene-coated Zn substrates was studied in borate buffer and 3.5 wt% NaCl solutions through potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It
This study systematically investigated the efficacy of incorporating graphene/cerium hydroxide (GH) composite material into epoxy-modified polyurethane resin coatings for enhancing the corrosion resistance of Q690qE steel within polluted marine atmospheric conditions. The research encompassed a range of electrochemical assessments and analyses. Notably, the E/GH-0.3% coating displayed a substantially positive open-circuit potential (OCP) and prominently reduced corrosion current density, leading to annual corrosion rates of 2.72 mm/a following 25 days of immersion. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) elucidated the superiority of the E/GH-0.3% coating, characterized by the highest impedance modulus |Z| at 0.1 Hz, indicative of robust corrosion protection. Remarkably, the self-healing performance of E/GH-0.3% and E/ GH-0.5% coatings was evidenced by the formation of a composite passivation layer at scratch sites, particularly pronounced after 40 days of immersion. These findings underscore the promising potential of the GH composite as an effective corrosion inhibitor, holding significant promise for the advancement of protective coatings in harsh coastal industrial environments.
Pyroprocessing is a crucial method for recovering nuclear fuel materials, particularly uranium and transuranic elements (TRU), through electrochemical reactions in a LiCl or LiCl-KCl molten salt system, which is highly stable medium at elevated temperatures. In the electrochemical reduction stage, actinide metal oxides are effectively transformed into their metallic forms and retained at the cathode within a molten LiCl-Li2O environment at 650°C. Simultaneously, oxygen ions (O2-) are generated at the cathode and then transported through the molten salt to be discharged at the anode, where they combine to form oxygen gas (O2) on the anode’s surface. One notable challenge in this electrochemical process is the generation of various byproducts during the anode oxide reduction step, including oxygen, chlorine, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Consequently, significant amounts of corrosion products tend to accumulate on the upper region of the anode’s immersion area over time. This report introduces a novel solution to mitigate corrosion-related challenges within the specified temperature range. We propose a selective oxidation treatment for the NiCrAl-based 214 Haynes alloy, involving exposure to 1,100°C in a reducing atmosphere. The objective is to stimulate the growth of protective α-Al2O3 scales on the alloy’s surface. The resulting oxide scales have undergone thorough characterization using SEM, EDS, and XRD techniques. The pre-grown alumina scale has demonstrated commendable adherence and thermal stability, even when subjected to a chlorine-oxygen mixed atmosphere at the specified temperature.
Since spent nuclear fuel (SNF) should be isolated from the human life zone for at least 106 years, deep geological disposal (DGD) is considered a strong candidate for SNF management in many countries. Therefore, a disposal canister should be nearly immune to corrosion in such a long-term storage environment. Even though copper has a low corrosion rate of a few millimeters per million years in geological environments, the corrosion resistance of the copper welds must be preferentially validated, which inevitably occurs during the sealing of the disposal canister after the SNF is loaded. This is because the weld zone is a discontinuous area of microstructure, which can accelerate uniform and localized corrosion. In this study, the microstructural characteristics of copper welds in different welding conditions such as friction stir welding, electron beam welding, cold spray, were analyzed, focusing on the formation of microstructure, which affects resistance to corrosion. In addition, the microstructure and corrosion properties of the copper weld zone manufactured by recent wire-based additive manufacturing (AM) technology were experimentally evaluated. From this preliminary test result, it was found that the corrosion characteristics of the welds produced by the AM process using wire are comparable to those of the conventional forged copper plate.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether galvanic corrosion of copper occurs by inserting a third barrier layer with a higher corrosion potential than copper between copper and cast iron when the copper layer is locally perforated by pitting or partial corrosion. A triple layer composed of copper, inserted metal, and carbon steel was manufactured by cold spray coating of inserting metal powders such as Ag, Ni, and Ti on carbon steel plate followed by Cu coating on it. First, the corrosion properties were evaluated electrochemically for each metal coating. As a result of Tafel plot anaylsis in KURT groundwater condition, the corrosion potential of Fe (-567 mV) was much lower than that of Cu (-91 mV), and the corrosion potential of Ni (-150 mV) was also lower than that of Cu. Therefore, Ni was likely to corrode before Cu. However, the corrosion current of Ni was lower than that of the Cu. In the galvanic specimen where the copper and inserting metal were exposed together, Cu-Fe was much lower corrosion potential of -446 mV, and the corrosion potential of Cu-Ti, Cu-Ni, and Cu-Ag were slightly higher than that of Cu. Therefore, it seemed that Ag, Ni, and Ti all might promote galvanic corrosion of surrounding copper when the copper layer was perforated to the inserted metal layer. If the metal insertion presented in this study operates properly, the disposal container does not need to worry about the partial corrosion or non-uniform corrosion of external copper layer.
Sealing treatment is a post-surface treatment of the plasma spray coating process to improve the corrosion resistance of the coating material. In this study, the effect of the sealing on the corrosion resistance and adhesive strength of the plasma spray-coated alumina coatings was analyzed. For sealing, an epoxy resin was applied to the surface of the coated specimen using a brush. The coated specimen was subjected to a salt spray test for up to 48 hours and microstructural analysis revealed that corrosion in the coating layer/base material interface was suppressed due to the resin sealing. Measurement of the adhesive strength of the specimens subjected to the salt spray test indicated that the adhesive strength of the sealed specimens remained higher than that of the unsealed specimens. In conclusion, the resin sealing treatment for the plasma spray-coated alumina coatings is an effective method for suppressing corrosion in the coating layer/base material interface and maintaining high adhesive strength.
A molten salt reactor (MSR) has considerably attracted attention due to its several advantages for the safety and efficiency over the light water reactors. Because the structural material in MSR is contacted with high-temperature liquid fuel during long-term, the excellent material for corrosion resistance is required to be applied in MSR. In this study, we evaluated the corrosion resistance for alloy 600 and 617, which are the nickel-based materials, in KCl molten salt at 800ºC for 100 h under Ar atmosphere containing less than 1 ppm of moisture and oxygen. After the corrosion experiments of alloy 600 and 617, the amount of the weight loss for them caused by the KCl molten salt were determined. In addition, the variation in the crystal structure, surface morphology, and elemental distribution was examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.
본 연구는 절탄기 튜브의 저온부식 손상을 방지하기 위해 Inconel 625 용사재료를 활용하여 아크 열용사 코팅기술 적용 후 실링 처리를 실시하였다. 용사코팅(TSC) 층의 내식성 분석을 위해 0.5 wt% 황산 수용액에서 다양한 전기화학적 실험을 진행하였다. 양극분극 실험 후에는 주사전자현미경과 EDS 성분분석을 통해 부식 손상 정도를 파악하였다. 자연전위 계측 시 TSC+실링처리(TSC+Sealing)의 안정적인 전위 형성을 통해 실링처리 효과를 확인하였다. 양극분극 실험 결과 TSC와 TSC+Sealing에서 부동태 영역이 확인되었으며, 부식 손상 역시 관찰되지 않아 내식성이 개선되었다. 더불어 타펠분석에 의해 산출된 부식전위와 부식전류밀도 분석 결과 TSC+Sealing의 내식성이 가장 우수하게 나타났다.
Deicing agent refers to the substance that melts snow by exothermic or endothermic chemical reaction after spraying on snow. It also has the function of reducing the freezing point to prevent freezing. However, the long-term use of deicing agent can cause some negative problems, such as pot hole, concrete corrosion, vehicle and steel bridge parts corrosion. At present, wet salt spray deicing is a cost-effective deicing method that is being widely used. Typical deicing agents are calcium chloride and sodium chloride. Deicing equipment is placed to similar or higher corrosive environment than coastal or marine environment due to direct contact to chloride in deicing operation. Therefore, the anti-corrosion control is very important for the maintenance of deicing equipment. In this study, corrosion resistance, blistering and repairability of the deicing equipment were tested by using test standard (salt water production and spraying- KS D 9502 , evaluating degree of rusting- ASTM D 610, evaluating degree of blistering- ASTM D 714, pull-off strangth of coatings- ASTM D 4541). And an economical coating system with long-term antirust performance was constructed. The results show that the performance of the coating system has been improved than with the original coating.
In this study, the long-term performance of FRP Hybrid Bar made by hybridizing FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) with ordinary reinforcing steel bars was experimentally examined as a part of the development of alternative materials for RC (reinforced concrete) structures especially located in marine or harbor areas. In order to evaluate the field exposure of the FRP Hybrid Bar, the specimen was prepared and the corrosion behavior was evaluated by letting the specimen exposed to the field conditions in the west coast of South Korea. The purpose of this study is to provide important data as a material countermeasure to reduce corrosion of reinforcing steel in future marine port concrete structures based on the results obtained through this study.
In this study, nitrogen ions were implanted into STS 316L austenitic stainless steel by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) to improve the corrosion resistance. The implantation of nitrogen ions was performed with bias voltages of −5, −10, −15, and −20 kV. The implantation time was 240 min and the implantation temperature was kept at room temperature. With nitrogen implantation, the corrosion resistance of 316 L improved in comparison with that of the bare steel. The effects of nitrogen ion implantation on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of the specimen were investigated by the potentiodynamic polarization test, which was conducted in a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution at 70 oC. The phase evolution and texture caused by the nitrogen ion implantation were analyzed by an X-ray diffractometer. It was demonstrated that the samples implanted at lower bias voltages, i.e., 5 kV and 10 kV, showed an expanded austenite phase, γN, and strong (111) texture morphology. Those samples exhibited a better corrosion resistance.
In this study, in order to increase surface ability of hardness and corrosion of magnesium alloy, anodizingand sealing with nano-diamond powder was conducted. A porous oxide layer on the magnesium alloy was successfullymade at 85℃ through anodizing. It was found to be significantly more difficult to make a porous oxide layer in themagnesium alloy compared to an aluminum alloy. The oxide layer made below 73℃ by anodizing had no porous layer.The electrolyte used in this study is DOW 17 solution. The surface morphology of the magnesium oxide layer wasinvestigated by a scanning electron microscope. The pores made by anodizing were sealed by water and aqueous nano-diamond powder respectively. The hardness and corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy was increased by the anod-izing and sealing treatment with nano-diamond powder.
In this study, STS 316L powders with 3 wt.% Cu and 1 wt.% Sn known as corrosion-resistance reinforce- ment elements, are prepared to make different kinds of specimens, in which, 3 wt.% Cu and 1 wt.% Sn are added in different forms by mixing, alloying and fully alloying. After sintering in the same condition, the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and their mechanical properties of specimens are tested respectively. According to the comparison, STS 316L specimen sintered at 1270o C showed the most excellent mechanical property: HRB 78 (hardness), 1130.7 MPa (RCS), 26.6% (Fraction Wear), It was similar with the specimen made of STS316L and fully alloyed Cu and Sn pow- ders, meanwhile, the latter one appears the best corrosion resistance, 75hrs-salt immersion test results. In addition, the specimens with Cu and Sn powders additive showed relatively worse wear resistance in compared with STS316L spec- imen.
Coatings composited with alumina and Perfluoro alkoxyalkane (PFA) resin were deposited on stainless steel plate (SUS304) to further improve corrosion resistance. Plate (ca. 10μm) and/or nanosize (27~43 nm) alumina used as inorganic additives were mixed in PFA resin to make alumina-fluoro composite coatings. These coatings were deposited on SUS304 plate with wet spray coating and then the film was cured thermally. According to the amount and ratio of the two kinds of alumina having plate morphology and nano size, corrosion resistance of the film was evaluated under strong acids (HF, HCl) and a strong base (NaOH). The film prepared with the addition of 5~10 wt% alumina powders in PFA resin showed corrosion resistance superior to that of pure PFA resin film. However, for the film prepared with alumina content above 10 wt%, the corrosion resistance did not improve with the physical properties, such as surface hardness and adhesion. The film prepared with plate/nanosize (weight ratio = 1/2) alumina especially enhanced the surface hardness and corrosion resistance. This can be explained as showing that the plate and the nanosize alumina dispersed in PFA resin effectively suppressed the penetration of cations and anions due to the long penetration length and fewer defects that accompany the improved surface hardness under a serious environment of 10% HF solution for over 120 hrs.