Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Corrosion products of hot-dip galvanized steel containment internals may cause serious problems during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) at a nuclear power plant by clogging insulation debris laden sump strainers of the emergency core cooling system. The chemical and physical conditions influence the formation and deposition of the sparingly soluble corrosion products. In nearly neutral boric acid media, the corrosion starts by a dissolution process of zinc. A fast local coolant flow accelerates the dissolution of Zn (flow accelerated corrosion) and leads to rust formation on steel rapidly. Additionally, the local flow conditions prevent the known cathodic protection mechanism of zinc on steel. Furthermore, a sufficient flow impact is presumed to transport the rust particles into the insulation fibres mats on the strainers where they may blocked in the worst case. As a result of fibre bed analyses, corrosion products of iron and not of zinc are regarded as the main source of clogging. The mechanism of zinc dissolution in the absence of other anions can be explained by formation of borate ions originate from boric acid as a coolant ingredient in pressurized water reactors (PWR).