Electrochemical and spectroscopic characterization of oxide films formed on Alloy 182 in simulated boiling water reactor environment: Effect of dissolved hydrogen

In boiling water reactor (BWR) environments, the content of dissolved hydrogen (DH) in the high-temperature water has an influence on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of Ni-based alloys. In order to understand the possible role of different types of surface oxide films in the SCC initiation process, oxide films formed on Alloy 182 weld metal under simulated BWR conditions at 274 °C with varying contents of DH from 10 to 2200 ppb, were investigated by electrochemical and spectroscopic methods. The influence of the DH content on the nature of the oxide films is discussed in the context of SCC mechanisms.