Kinetics of dissolution of magnetite in PDCA based formulations

Magnetite is one of the important corrosion products of pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) where carbon steel is the dominant surface in the primary heat transport system. Designing of formulations capable of dissolving magnetite is important for effective decontamination of such surfaces. The rate of dissolution of synthetically prepared magnetite was studied in low concentrations of PDCA containing acidic formulations. The effect of addition of ascorbic acid, citric acid, Fe2+-PDCA complex on the rate was also studied. The effects of pH and the temperature on the dissolution rate were determined. The PDCA as a complexant has some positive factors like low protonation constant and enhanced stability to radiation. (author)