The Effect of Shot Peening on Corrosion and Deuterium Pickup in Zr-2.5Nb

Abstract

Shot peening, a cold-work process in which a metal is bombarded with a stream of shot at high velocity under controlled conditions, was investigated as a means of reducing deuterium ingress in Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes. Corrosion tests on shot peened material were conducted in static autoclaves at Chalk River Laboratories at 280, 300 and 335 °C and in a heavy-water re-circulating loop in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor at 250 and 325 °C under water chemistry conditions similar to that in the CANDU® reactor heat transport system. Deuterium ingress measurements showed that shot peening resulted in a beneficial reduction in deuterium ingress (> 30% reduction).