Factors Governing the Corrosion Testing Of Zircaloy-Base Fuel Alloys

Some of the factors governing the high temperature water and steam corrosion behavior of a Zircaloy-2 alloy containing 6.3 weight percent uranium were studied. Corrosion was found not to be influenced by sample size, marking methods, or pre-corrosion exposure surface condition. The data further show that the corrosion resistance is markedly influenced by heat treatment, with the low temperature treatment resulting in less corrosion than the high temperature treatment. Tests were run on samples in 600 F water, 680 F water and 750 F steam. 6.3.20