Effect of chlorides and sulfates on the EAC of austenitic stainless steel in PWR environment

Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in primary and auxiliary circuits of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). Moreover, some components (Canopy or Omega seals, dead legs, etc.) suffer from environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) that is, in a most cases related to the presence of tiny concentrations of pollutants. Stress corrosion tests were conducted on austenitic stainless steels (AISI 304L, 316L) in polluted simulated PWR primary environment at temperatures from 150oC to 300oC. When sulfates were present (> 1 μg.g-1), shallow cracking indicating some sensitivity to EAC was observed in Constant Elongation Rate Tests (CERTs) in deaerated environment but not in aerated environment. When chlorides were present, EAC was only observed in aerated environment, depending on the chloride and sulfate contents. In aerated environment a significant synergy between chlorides and sulfates led to an increase in the susceptibility to EAC. A deleterious effect of the cold work was also noted. (author)