Corrosion Behavior of 316L Stainless Steel in Supercritical Water Environment

There is a need to destroy both military and civilian hazardous waste and urgency, mandated by public concern over traditional waste handling methodologies, to safe and efficient alternative technologies. One very effective process for the destruction of such waste is supercritical water oxidation (SCWO). Nevertheless, corrosion of the materials of fabrication is a serious concern. This work intends to obtain the fundamental data for developing the corrosion resistant steel for the construction of SCWO system. The effects of various factors on the corrosion resistance of flat, welded, and U-bend 316L stainless steels in Trimsol solution were studied. Corroded product on surface was composed of multi-layer with oxides and salts, and dealloying was observed. Major corrosion phenomena of 316L stainless steel under SCWO condition were intergranular corrosion, pitting corrosion, SCC, and erosion corrosion. This work focused on the elucidation of corrosion mechanism of 316L stainless steel in SCWO environment.