Review of the corrosion performance of selected canister materials for disposal of UK HLW and/or spent fuel

Abstract

A review of the corrosion performance of selected canister materials for the disposal of high activity waste in the UK is presented. The canister materials considered are carbon steel, copper, stainless steels, titanium alloys and nickel alloys. The purpose of the review is to provide a high level overview of the technical and scientific issues relating to the use of each of these materials for the disposal of high level waste and spent nuclear fuel in the UK. The advantages and disadvantages of each material are described, as are limiting or ‘critical’ conditions for which the use of a given material is questionable or not recommended.