An electrochemical study of stainless steels and a nickel alloy in a decontamination agent using the potentiodynamic method.

Chemical decontamination is accepted as one of the effective methods for decreasing radioactivity from radioactive materials existing in the systems of the nuclear power plants. In chemical decontamination processes, metal oxides dissolve in chelating agents such as oxalic acid and EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) in the dissolution step for the chemical decontamination process. It is important to investigate corrosion behaviors with respect to decontaminating agents in the development of decontamination process. In this study, the potentiodynamic method was considered among electrochemical methods in order to investigate corrosion behaviors of stainless steels (SS 316, SS 304) and a nickel alloy (Inconel 600). The corrosion behaviors observed in the potentiodynamic results agreed with those of corrosion behaviors observed in the weight loss method, showing that the electrochemical study is a very useful method for estimating corrosion behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]