CORROSION MODELS FOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE-WASTE CONTAINERS

The present plan for disposal of high-level radioactive waste in the USA is to seal the waste in containers before emplacement in a geologic repository. A proposed site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is presently being evaluated for its suitability as a geologic repository. The containers will probably be made of either an austenitic or a copper-based alloy. Models of alloy degradation are being used to predict the long-term performance of the containers under repository conditions. The models are of uniform oxidation and corrosion, localized corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking, and are applicable to worst-case scenarios of container degradation. This paper reviews several of the models.