Abstract
The 250ppm hydrogen-charged Zircaloy-4 sheets, homogenized at $400^{\circ}C$ for 72hrs in vacuum, were corroded under the autoclave conditions of $350^{\circ}C$, 2350psi. The corrosion behavior of the Zircaloy-4 sheets was evaluated by measuring their weight gains with the exposure time. The electrical characteristics were investigated in the ranges of 5000~1x10\ulcornerHz using AC impedance technique in 1N $H_2$$SO_4$aqueous solution. The corrosion rate of the hydrogen charged specimen was more rapid than the normal specimen at the early stage of the corrosion. With a longer corrosion time, however, the normal specimen corroded faster than the hydrogen-charged specimen. At the same time the hydrogen pickup in the hydrogen-charged specimen was more suppressed compared with the normal specimen. Such appears to be occurred because the impedance for the movement of the hydrogen ion into the metal was higher in the hydrogen-charged specimen compared to normal specimen at the interface between the oxide layer and the uncorroded metal. Thus the corrosion rate of the hydrogen-charged specimen was likely to be decreased with a longer corrosion time.
