Corrosion monitoring in the UF6 cylinder yards at the Oak Ridge K-25 Site: FY 1994 report

摘要

Depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF(sub 6)) at the U.S. Department of Energy's K-25 Site at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has been stored in large steel cylinders that have undergone significant atmospheric corrosion damage over the last 35 years. A detailed experimental program to characterize the corrosion damage was initiated in 1992. Large amounts of corrosion scale and deep pits are found to cover UF(sub 6) cylinder surfaces. Ultrasonic wall thickness measurements have shown uniform corrosion losses up to 20 mils (0.5 mm) and pits up to 100 mils (2.5 mm) deep. Electrical resistance corrosion probes, TOW sensors, and thermocouples have been attached to cylinder bodies. Atmospheric conditions are monitored using rain gauges, relative humidity sensors, and thermocouples. Long-term (16-year) data are being obtained from mild steel corrosion coupons on test racks as well as attached directly to cylinder surfaces. Corrosion rates have been found to be intimately related to the times-of-wetness, both tending to be higher on cylinder tops due to apparent sheltering effects. Data from the various tests are compared, discrepancies are discussed, and a pattern of cylinder corrosion as a function of cylinder position and location is described.