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Analogues for the Corrosion-induced Expansion of Iron in HLW containers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Nicholas R. Smart ,
Rachel Adams  and
Lars Werme
Nicholas R. Smart
Affiliation:
Serco Assurance, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3ED, U.K.
Rachel Adams
Affiliation:
Serco Assurance, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3ED, U.K.
Lars Werme
Affiliation:
SKB, Box 5864, SE-10240, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Abstract

In Sweden, spent nuclear fuel will be encapsulated in sealed cylindrical canisters, consisting of a cast iron insert and a copper outer container. The canisters will be placed in a deep geologic repository and surrounded by bentonite. If a breach of the outer copper container were to occur the cast iron insert would undergo anaerobic corrosion, forming a magnetite film whose volume would be greater than that of the base metal. In principle there is a possibility that accumulation of iron corrosion product could cause expansion of the copper canister. Anaerobic corrosion rates are very slow, so in the work described in this paper reference was made to analogous archaeological materials that had been corroding for long periods in natural anoxic aqueous environments. This paper describes a number of archaeological artefacts containing iron and copper corroding in constrained geometries in anoxic natural waters. No evidence has been obtained which would suggest that severe damage is likely to occur to waste canisters as a result of expansive corrosion of cast iron under repository conditions.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 807: Symposium Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVII , 2003 , A73
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

REFERENCES

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