A facility for studying irradiation accelerated corrosion in high temperature water

A facility for the study of irradiation accelerated corrosion in high temperature water using in situ proton irradiation has been developed and validated. A specially designed beamline and flowing-water corrosion cell added to the 1.7 MV tandem accelerator at the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory provide the capability to study the simultaneous effects of displacement damage and radiolysis on corrosion. A thin sample serves as both a “window” into the corrosion cell through which the proton beam passes completely, and the sample for assessing irradiation accelerated corrosion. The facility was tested by irradiating stainless steel samples at beam current densities between 0.5 and 10 μA/cm2 in 130 °C and 320 °C deaerated water, and 320 °C water with 3 wppm H2. Increases in the conductivity and dissolved oxygen content of the water varied with the proton beam current, suggesting that proton irradiation was accelerating the corrosion of the sample. Conductivity increases were greatest at 320 °C, while DO increases were highest at 130 °C. The addition of 3 wppm H2 suppressed DO below detectable levels. The facility will enable future studies into the effect of irradiation on corrosion in high temperature water with in situ proton irradiation.