Effects of cold work, sensitization treatment, and the combination on corrosion behavior of stainless steels in nitric acid

In a reprocessing process, spent nuclear fuels from light-water reactors are dissolved in nitric acid (HNO3) to separate and recover the fissile materials such as uranium and plutonium from the radioactive fission products. Corrosion behavior of two stainless steels (SS) was investigated in nitric acid (HNO3) for the effect of cold work (CW), sensitization heat treatment (Sens.), and a combination (CW + Sens.). The corrosion rate of the solution-treated type 304 SS (UNS S30400) with extra-low carbon (type 304ELC SS (UNS S30403)) increased with time and reached constant values after 1,000 h of immersion. However, constant corrosion rates were obtained for 25% Cr-20% Ni-Nb (type 310Nb SS [UNS S31040]) from the initial stage of immersion. CW mitigated corrosion of the solution-treated SS. The effect of CW was different on the two types of SS, with the sensitization heat-treated type 304 ELC SS showing higher corrosion rates and type 310Nb SS lower corrosion rates by CW. Corrosion resistance of type 310Nb SS was superior to type 304 ELC SS after all treatments. Chromium concentration of the sensitization-treated type 304 ELC SS was lower in the grain-boundary region than of the solution-treated one, although no chromium carbide precipitation was observed. This may have been the cause of intergranular corrosion enhancement by sensitization treatment