Evaluation of zinc addition to PWR primary coolant

Laboratory studies have shown that addition of zinc to a PWR environment reduces the general corrosion rates of materials in the primary system and delays the initiation of primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in Alloy 600. Because of the potential benefits of zinc addition in reducing radiation fields and mitigating PWSCC of Alloy 600 a project was initiated to qualify zinc addition to a PWR. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of zinc addition on radiation fields, PWSCC of Alloy 600 and fuel cladding corrosion at the Farley-2 PWR. In order to provide an early warning of any potential adverse effects on the fuel cladding, corrosion studies were initiated at the Halden test reactor prior to zinc addition at Farley-2. This paper provides an overview of the scope of the zinc addition demonstration at Farley-2 and the fuel cladding corrosion tests at Halden. The zinc concentration in the Farley-2 coolant is approximately 40 ppb and that in Halden is 50 ppb. The paper presents initial results from these studies which are still in progress.