Effect of Cr content on the FAC of pipe material at 150

Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) of the carbon steel piping in nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been major issue in nuclear industry. During the FAC, a protective oxide layer on carbon steel dissolves into flowing water leading to a thinning of the oxide layer and accelerating corrosion of base material. As a result, severe failures may occur in the piping and equipment of NPPs. Effect of alloying elements on FAC of pipe materials was studied with rotating cylinder FAC test facility at 150°C and at flow velocity of 4m/s. The facility is equipped with on line monitoring of pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen(DO) and temperature. Test solution was the demineralized water, and DO concentration was less than 1 ppb. Surface appearance of A 106 Gr. B which is used widely in secondary pipe in NPPs showed orange peel appearance, typical appearance of FAC. The materials with Cr content higher than 0.17wt.% showed pit. The pit is thought to early degradation mode of FAC. The corrosion product within the pit was enriched with Cr, Mo, Cu, Ni and S. But S was not detected in SA336 F22V with 2.25wt.% Cr. The enrichment of Cr and Mo seemed to be related with low, solubility of Cr and Mo compared to Fe. Measured FAC rate was compared with Ducreaux’s relationship and showed slightly lower FAC rate than Ducreaux’s relationship.