LAUSR

Abstract The effectiveness of zinc on the electrochemical behavior and oxide film formation of a 30% cold forged Alloy 690 exposed to high-temperature borated and lithiated water was investigated. The morphology and chemical composition of the formed oxide films with and without zinc injection were analyzed and compared by TEM–EDS and XPS techniques. Zinc clearly improved the electrochemical corrosion parameters of the alloy. Cathodic polarization improved the passivation of the alloy especially in presence of zinc. It was also found that actual zinc concentrations higher than 10 ppb is needed to observe a significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the alloy in the pressurized water reactor operating conditions. Finally, further investigations of the effect of cold work on the high–temperature electrochemical performance of Alloy 690 and other iron and nickel based alloys in zinc injected solutions is recommended for the future studies.