An hydrogen evolution method for the estimation of the oxide scale growth on reactor alloys in supercritical water

This study demonstrates the use of the hydrogen evolution method to estimate the weight gain and thickness of the oxide layer formed on stainless steel 316 and Alloy 800H tubing, exposed to supercritical water. The estimated weight gain of both materials follows a roughly parabolic rate law. Weight gain due to the oxidation after 300 h of exposure was found to be about 1.5 times larger in the SS316 compared to Alloy 800H. This method can be used for monitoring the corrosion behavior of nuclear reactor materials, without the need to interrupt the experiment and remove corrosion coupons.