J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2021, Vol. 65: 61-71.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2020.04.068

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Proton irradiation assisted localized corrosion and stress corrosion cracking in 304 nuclear grade stainless steel in simulated primary PWR water

Ping Denga,b, Qunjia Penga,c,*(), En-Hou Hana, Wei Kea, Chen Sund   

  1. aCAS Key Laboratory of Nuclear Materials and Safety Assessment, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
    bNuclear Power Institute of China, Chengdu 610213, China
    cSuzhou Nuclear Power Research Institute, Suzhou 215004, China
    dState Power Investment Corporation Research Institute, Beijing 102209, China
  • Received:2019-12-16 Revised:2020-03-19 Accepted:2020-04-03 Published:2021-02-28 Online:2021-03-15
  • Contact: Qunjia Peng
  • About author:* CAS Key Laboratory of Nuclear Materials and SafetyAssessment, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang110016, China.E-mail addresses: pengqunjia@yahoo.com, pengqunjia@cgnpc.com.cn (Q. Peng).

Abstract:

Localized deformation and corrosion in irradiated 304 nuclear grade stainless steel in simulated primary water were investigated. The investigation was conducted by comparing the deformation structure, the oxide scale formed at the deformation structure, and their correlation with cracking. The results revealed that increasing the irradiation dose promoted localized corrosion at the slip step and grain boundary, which was primarily attributed to the strain concentration induced by enhanced localized deformation and depletion of Cr at grain boundary. Further, a synergic effect of the enhanced localized deformation and localized corrosion at the slip step and grain boundary caused a higher cracking susceptibility of the irradiated steel.

Key words: Stainless steel, AFM, TEM, High temperature corrosion, Stress corrosion