Electrochemistry of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) in Water Cooled Reactor Cooler Circuits

Digby MacDonald
Pennsylvania State University

This presentation hypothesizes that SCC occurence, and the rate at which SCC takes place, are strong functions of: the electrochemical potential (ECP); the conductivity of the medium; the temperature; and, to a lesser extent, the stress, provided that the tensile stress is sufficiently high to maintain an open crack. Extensive experimental work on SCC in sensitized stainless steels and nickel-based alloys (after certain thermo-mechanical processing) has shown this. Work has been done in modeling the electrochemistry and accumulation of stress corrosion cracking damage in the coolant circuits in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). Using codes developed at Penn State, fourteen operating BWRs have been modeled worldwide to date. Where comparison has been possible, the predicted damage is in excellent agreement with plant observation.

Digby MacDonald, Pennsylvania State University

Digby MacDonald is the Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, and he is also the Director for the Center for Electrochemical Science and Technology. Throughout his long and prestigous career, Digby has held a wide variety of positions, including Research Officer, Professor, Lecturer and Director for many universities and research organizations. Professor Macdonald gained his BSc and MSc in Chemistry at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Calgary in Canada. The recipient of many awards, Digby is also an elected fellow of NACE-International, The Electrochemical Society, The Royal Society of Canada, The Royal Society of New Zealand, ASM International, the World Innovation Foundation, and the International Society of Electrochemistry. He has published over 700 papers in scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings, plus one book , Transient Techniques in Electrochemistry, and has numerous patents and patent disclosures to his credit.

Professor MacDonald's professional competence lies in the fields of electrochemistry, corrosion science, battery science and technology, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, high temperature aqueous chemistry, nuclear power technology, energy conversion technology, and physical chemistry.

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