Month

Corrosion of Type 347 Stainless Steel in the Uranium-Derby Pickle Bath (open access)

Corrosion of Type 347 Stainless Steel in the Uranium-Derby Pickle Bath

Abstract: In one of the final stages of the process at the Mallinckrodt Uranium Refining Center, a 45 per cent nitric acid solution at about 170 F is used to pickle the calcined magnesium fluoride scale off the uranium derbies. The increase in the fluoride-ion content of the bath tends to promote corrosion of the Type 347 stainless tanks. This attack becomes excessive if 0.3 g/liter of fluoride ion or more is present. It was found that if aluminum ion is added to the solution the corrosiveness of the bath can be controlled. Two or three times as much aluminum ion as fluoride ion present is found satisfactory at 170 F. Indications are that the tying up of the fluoride-ion by the complexion [AlF6]8 is responsible for the corrosion control.
Date: July 14, 1954
Creator: Peoples, R. S.; Fink, F. W.; Stewart, O. M. & Braun, W. J.
System: The UNT Digital Library