The influence of water content on corrosion of Zircaloy-4 in HCl or NaCl (0.1 or 1N) methanolic solutions was studied potentiokinetically. Repassivation potential variation with water content produces a curve whose appearance is similar to a titration curve with the equivalent point at 0.5 H2O molar ratio and the potential differences between aqueous and methanolic solutions being large (700 mV). Kinetics of pit growth are not greatly altered by water content variations; however, the morphology of pits gradually changes from intergranular to non-crystallographic transgranular attack with the addition of water. The rival actions involved in oxide film formation at the metal surface and the mechanism of solvent modification are proposed to explain these behaviors.

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