Investigation of the corrosion behavior of cooling coil material in a simulated concrete environment.

摘要

Pitting corrosion of the cooling coils embedded in the concrete roof of the waste tanks is one of the suspected causes of the recent cooling coil failures. Cyclic polarization tests were conducted to predict the threshold chloride level above which pitting would initiate. The threshold chloride level was determined to be 9000 ppM. Although these tests predict the electrochemical or corrosion behavior of the metal, they may not predict the severity of attack. Further tests which investigate the effect of the permeability of the concrete matrix on the transport of water and oxygen to the metal surface are planned to assess the severity of attack.