Hydrogen Diffusion and Trapping Effects in Low and Medium Carbon Steels for Subsurface Reinforcement in the Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository

Author: Lamb Joshua   Arjunan Venugopal   Deodeshmukh Vinay   Chandra Dhanesh   Daemen Jaak   Rebak Raúl  

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

ISSN: 1543-1940

Source: Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol.38, Iss.2, 2007-02, pp. : 348-355

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Abstract

The electrochemical hydrogen permeation method was used to investigate hydrogen transport, trapping characteristics of low (0.08 pct C) and medium carbon (0.44 pct C) steels proposed for the Yucca Mountain (YM) repository environment. The presence of relatively high amounts of C, Mn, and S increased the density of trapping sites in medium carbon steel. The measured diffusivity of medium carbon steel was lower than that of the low carbon steel due to increased trapping of hydrogen at irreversible sites in the medium carbon steel. Hydrogen concentration values obtained for low carbon steels in YM ground water electrolytes indicate that increased ionic concentration decreases the uptake of hydrogen. The decrease in hydrogen permeation were due the formation of CaCO3 corrosion products on the surface of steels.