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Nitric Acid Corrosion Issues of Spent Fuel Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plants Materials

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A Treatise on Corrosion Science, Engineering and Technology

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Abstract

The degradation of reprocessing materials to nitric acid corrosion in aqueous spent fuel nuclear reprocessing plants is an unwanted and serious issue. The PUREX (Plutonium URanium EXtraction) process employs head-end treatment of chemical or mechanical decladding followed by the dissolution of spent fuel in different nitric acid concentrations (1–14 M HNO3), feed clarification, and chemical conditions of the solution for solvent extraction. These construction materials demand a high integrity and resistance to corrosion for components like fuel dissolvers, evaporators, waste storage tanks, piping, etc. The materials most commonly used for spent reprocessing plants are austenitic grades of type 304L stainless steels (SS), with restricted trace elements of C, B, Si, P, S, Mo, etc., and AISI type 300 series of stabilized grade, Si-based nitric acid grade SS, along with small quantities of refractory metals like titanium and zirconium alloys. Alternatively, aluminium alloys, Ni, Ti and Zr-based bulk metallic glasses alloys, and recently, oxide dispersion strengthened steels have also been investigated. Similarly, the material degradation due to tribocorrosion, i.e., the synergistic interactions between wear and corrosion of reprocessing materials of type 304L SS, Ti-grade 2, Zr-702 and Zircaloy-4 materials in the nitric acid medium are also briefly addressed. In the nuclear reprocessing environment, the tribocorrosion phenomena are encountered in a continuous rotary dissolver, solvent extraction apparatus, moving parts, and also some frictional or moving components are subjected to scratches or wear- or flow-induced vibrations in a nitric acid medium. Despite its practical importance, little basic research has been devoted to understanding the synergistic mechanism involved in a tribocorrosion system of materials used in nuclear reprocessing plants. Finally, the corrosion acceleration process and factors affecting the structural materials specific to the reprocessing environments in the nitric acid environment are presented. It is essential that providing an understanding of the corrosion degradation processes and its mechanism of structural materials will be useful in minimizing the nitric acid corrosion of reprocessing materials.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Corrosion Science and Technology Division, Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, India

    S. Ningshen & R. Priya

  2. Heavy Water Board, Mumbai, 400094, India

    U. Kamachi Mudali

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  1. S. Ningshen
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  2. R. Priya
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  3. U. Kamachi Mudali
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Ningshen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Vice Chancellor, VIT Bhopal University, Bhopal, India

    U. Kamachi Mudali

  2. Biofouling and Biofilm Processes Section, Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, India

    Toleti Subba Rao

  3. Aqueous Corrosion and Protection Section Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, India

    S. Ningshen

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

    Radhakrishna G. Pillai

  5. Surface Modification and Characterization Section, Corrosion Science and Technology Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, India

    Rani P. George

  6. Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Madras, Chennai, India

    T. M. Sridhar

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Ningshen, S., Priya, R., Kamachi Mudali, U. (2022). Nitric Acid Corrosion Issues of Spent Fuel Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plants Materials. In: Kamachi Mudali, U., Subba Rao, T., Ningshen, S., G. Pillai, R., P. George, R., Sridhar, T.M. (eds) A Treatise on Corrosion Science, Engineering and Technology. Indian Institute of Metals Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9302-1_3

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