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Numerical Predictions of Dry Oxidation of Iron and Low-CarbonSteel at Moderately Elevated Temperatures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2012

G. A. Henshall
G. A. Henshall*
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, L-355, Livermore, CA 94551.
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Abstract

Wrought and cast low-carbon steel are candidate materials for the thick(e.g. 10 cm) outer barrier of nuclear waste packages being considered foruse in the potential geological repository at Yucca Mountain. Dry oxidationis one potential degradation mode for these materials at the moderatelyelevated temperatures expected at the container surface, e.g. 323–533 K(50–260 °C). Therefore, numerical predictions of dry oxidation damage havebeen made based on experimental data for iron and low-carbon steel and thetheory of parabolic oxidation. A numerical approach employing the ForwardEuler method has been implemented to integrate the parabolic rate law forarbitrary, complex temperature histories. Assuming growth of a defect-free,adherent oxide, the surface penetration of a low-carbon steel barrierfollowing 5000 years of exposure to a severe, but repository-relevant,temperature history is predicted to be only about 0.127 mm, less than 0.13%of the expected container thickness of 10 cm. Allowing the oxide to spallupon reaching a critical thickness increases the predicted metal penetrationvalues, but degradation is still computed to be negligible. Based on thesephysically-based model calculations, dry oxidation is not expected tosignificantly degrade the performance of thick, corrosion allowance barriersconstructed of low-carbon steel.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 465: Symposium II – Scienfific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XX , 1996 , 667
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

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