Tribocorrosion in nitric acid of Zr alloy, Ti alloy, and 310 SS used for reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.

The tribocorrosion behavior of the three representative dissolver materials, namely zirconium (Zr) alloy, 310 stainless steel (SS), and titanium (Ti) alloy in HNO 3 was systematically investigated by SEM, XPS, and Nanoindentation. The results revealed that Zr alloy possesses high corrosion resistance but a less favorable tribocorrosion resistance, whereas 310 SS presents a comparatively better tribocorrosion resistance but insufficient corrosion resistance. Moreover, both the coefficient of friction and wear loss of all three alloys were decreased at 0.8 V compared to −0.8 V, demonstrating an antagonistic effect of corrosion on wear, attributed to the lubrication and hardness enhancement of oxide layers. The present work offers a new perspective on the tribocorrosion behavior of continuous dissolvers used for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. [Display omitted] • Tribocorrosion behavior of Zr alloy, 310 SS, and Ti alloy in HNO 3 was studied. • Zr alloy is high corrosion resistant but has insufficient tribocorrosion resistance. • 310 SS presents good tribocorrosion resistance but poor static corrosion resistance. • Antagonistic effect between corrosion and wear occurs on three alloys. • A tribocorrosion model of three dissolver materials in HNO 3 was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]