• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.2329-2333
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• 2022

Base metal corrosion forms a significant issue during the chemical decontamination of the primary coolant loop in nuclear power plants as it is directly related to the economic and safety viability of decommissioning. In this technical note, potentiodynamic evaluations of several base metals (304 stainless steel, SA106 Grade B carbon steel, and alloy 600) were performed to determine their corrosion behavior during the hydrazine (N₂H₄)-based reductive ion decontamination (HyBRID) process. The results suggested that N₂H₄ protected the surface of the base metals in the HyBRID solution, which is primarily composed of H₂SO₄. The corrosion resistance of the carbon steel was further improved through the addition of CuSO₄ to the solution. The corrosion rate of carbon steel in the H₂SO₄-N₂H₄-CuSO₄ solution was lower than that exhibited in an oxalic acid solution, a commonly used reaction medium during commercial decontamination processes. These results indicate the superiority of the HyBRID process with respect to the base metal stability.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.421-429
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• 2018

Hydrazine based reductive dissolution applied on magnetite oxide was investigated. Dissolution of Fe(II) and Fe(III) from magnetite takes place either by protonation, surface complexation, or reduction. Solution containing hydrazine and sulfuric acid provides hydrogen to break bonds between Fe and oxygen by protonation and electrons for the reduction of insoluble Fe(III) to soluble Fe(II) in acidic solution of pH 3. In terms of dissolution rate, numerous transition metal ions were examined and Cu(II) ion was found to be the most effective to speed up the dissolution. During the cycle of Cu(I) ions to Cu(II) ions, the released electron promoted the reduction of Fe(III) and Cu(II) ions returned to Cu(I) ion due to the oxidation of hydrazine. In the experimental results, the addition of a very low amount of cupric ion (about 0.5 mM) to the solution increased the dissolution rate about 40% on average and up to 70% for certain specific conditions. It is confirmed that even though the coordination structure of copper ions with hydrazine is not clear, the $Cu(II)/H^+/N_2H_4$ system is acceptable regarding the dissolution performance as a decontamination reagent.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2256-2262
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• 2023

The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of SA106 Grade B (SA106B) carbon steel in H₂SO₄4-N₂H₄ and H₂SO₄-N₂H₄-CuSO₄ solutions at 95 ℃ have been investigated with the addition of commercial corrosion inhibitors (CI#30 and No. 570S), to determine the stability of SA106B in the hydrazine-based reductive metal ion decontamination (HyBRID) process. The potentiodynamic polarization experiment revealed that the corrosion inhibitors were capable of lowering the corrosion rate of SA106B in H₂SO₄-N₂H₄ solution. It was found that the corrosion inhibitors induced formation of fixed surface layer on the carbon steel upon the corrosion. This corrosion inhibition performance was reduced in the presence of CuSO₄ in the solution owing to the chemical reactions between organic compounds in the corrosion inhibitors and CuSO₄. CI#30 showed a better corrosion inhibition effect in the H₂SO₄-N₂H₄-CuSO₄ solution. Although the corrosion inhibitors can provide better stability to SA106B in the HyBRID solution, their application should be carefully considered because it may result in reduced decontamination performance and increased secondary waste generation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1892-1900
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• 2023

A protective oxide layer forms on the material surfaces of a Nuclear Power Plant during operation due to high temperature. These oxides can host radionuclides, the activated corrosion products of fission products, resulting in decommissioning workers' exposure. These deposited oxides are iron oxides such as Fe₃O₄, Fe₂O₃ and mixed ferrites such as nickel ferrites, chromium ferrites, and cobalt ferrites. Developing a new chemical decontamination technology for domestic CANDU-type reactors is challenging due to variations in oxide compositions from different structural materials in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) system. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has already developed a chemical decontamination process for PWRs called 'HyBRID' (Hydrazine-Based Reductive metal Ion Decontamination) that does not use organic acids or organic chelating agents at all. As the first step to developing a new chemical decontamination technology for the Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) system, we investigated magnetite dissolution behaviors in various HyBRID inorganic acidic solutions to assess their applicability to the PHWR reactor system, which forms a thicker oxide film.