SwRI: High-Temperature Oxidation and Corrosion Processes, Geosciences and Engineering

	SwRI staff expose alloy samples to remelted volcanic rock to evaluate the effects of magma on waste package material at high temperatures up to 1,250°C. Corrosion prediction for systems with extremely long design lives (on the order of tens of thousands of years) is important for assessing the performance of high-level radioactive waste geologic repositories.

High-temperature oxidation and corrosion play an important role in the selection of materials for geological and aerospace applications. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provides technical assistance for

• Oxidation

• Sulfidation

• Nitridation

• Molten salt corrosion

• Protective coatings

State-of-the-art laboratory facilities and extensive computer modeling capabilities, as well as plant-site investigations and monitoring are used to meet client needs.
 

Microbalance system for studying high-temperature oxidation and corrosion

High-temperature oxidation and corrosion kinetics can be monitored using a state-of-the-art continuous-recording microbalance. SwRI's thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) system has a heating furnace with 1,700°C temperature capability, and is supported by an associated data acquisition and analysis system. SwRI staff have extensive experience in evaluating high-temperature oxidation and corrosion mechanisms, as well as in the development of protective coatings to mitigate materials degradation.

Oxidation kinetics of Alloy 22 material in air at 850 °C. and 1100 °C.: (left) mass gain vs. time; (right) mass gain vs. time1/2.

Cross section through the scale produced on Alloy 22 after 120 hours oxidation at 850°C. [1,562°F]: (left) scanning electron microscope backscattered electron image; and (right) concentration profiles of oxygen, chromium, iron, nickel, molybdenum, and tungsten along the line of traverse

For more information about the high-temperature oxidation and corrosion service capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Dr. Ken Chiang at kchiang@swri.org or (210) 522-2308, or Dr. Gary Walter at gwalter@swri.org or (210) 522-3805.