This article addresses the long-term corrosion behavior of high-level waste (HLW) container materials, more specifically of the outer shell of the containers. It discusses time, environmental, and materials considerations for the emplacement of HLW in geological repositories. Environmental corrosion resistance of materials planned for reducing repositories is also discussed. The article reviews the design and characterization of nuclear waste repository with an oxidizing environment surrounding the waste package.

Geochemical modeling is being used to understand and predict scaling, susceptibility to corrosion, atmospheric corrosion rates, acid rain, corrosion film solubility, and environmental impacts of aqueous species in runoff. This article discusses the principles, limitations, and applications of the modeling. It explains how to calculate the chemical equilibrium in geochemical modeling and provides information on modeling features.

This article provides a summary of the concepts discussed in the Section “Corrosion in Specific Industries” in the ASM Handbook, Volume 13C:Corrosion: Environments and Industries. This Section applies the fundamental understanding of corrosion and knowledge of materials of construction to practical applications. The industries addressed are nuclear power, fossil and alternative fuel, land transportation, air transportation, microelectronics, chemical processing, pulp and paper, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical technology, petroleum and petrochemical, building, and mining and metal processing.

This article first describes the two methods used in the 1998 U.S. corrosion cost study. In the first method, the cost was determined by summing the costs for corrosion control methods and contract services. In the second, the cost of corrosion was first determined for specific industry sectors and then extrapolated to calculate a national total corrosion cost. The article then reports the results and conclusions of the study. It concludes with information on corrosion prevention strategies.

The article provides an introduction on the importance of alloying elements on corrosion behavior of nickel alloys and describes the applications of heat-resistant alloys to resist corrosion. It focuses on the metallurgical effects, mainly the effect of internal factors, including chemical composition and microstructure of the alloy, and the external factors, including electrolyte composition, temperature, and electrode potential, on the corrosion behavior of corrosion-resistant alloys. The article also discusses the implication of changing the alloy microstructure by second-phase precipitation, cold working, and cast and wrought forms on the corrosion behavior of high-nickel alloys.

Corrosion modeling is an essential benchmarking element for the selection and life prediction associated with the introduction of new materials or processes. These models are most naturally expressed in terms of differential equations or in other nonexplicit forms of mathematics. This article discusses the principles and applications of various models developed for understanding the corrosion mechanism. These models include mechanistic models, including Pourbaix model, thermophysical module, electrochemical module, and ion association model; risk-based models; and knowledge models. The risk-based model and knowledge models are illustrated with examples for better understanding. The article also describes boundary-element modeling and pitting corrosion fatigue models.

When planning a corrosion-testing program, it is advisable to select the testing conditions carefully in order to produce ranking parameters with minimal influence from testing conditions while rich in engineering significance. This article provides a discussion on test objectives, metal composition and metallurgical conditions, test specimen preparation, and corrosion damage assessment. It describes a strategy for planning the design of controlled and uncontrolled factorial experiments. The article contains a table that lists the elements of an iterative process for the experimental design. It illustrates the experimental designs applied to corrosion testing.

Low-alloy steels are used in a broad spectrum of applications. In some cases, corrosion resistance is a major factor in alloy selection; in other applications, it is only a minor consideration. This article reviews the applications of alloy steel products in four major industries, namely, oil and gas production, energy conversion systems, marine applications, and chemical processing. Emphasis is placed on the corrosion characteristics of the products, which are used in various applications of each industry.

This article focuses on the mechanisms of microbially induced or influenced corrosion (MIC) of metallic materials as an introduction to the recognition, management, and prevention of microbiological corrosion failures in piping, tanks, heat exchangers, and cooling towers. It discusses the degradation of various protective systems, such as corrosion inhibitors and lubricants. The article describes the failure analysis of steel, iron, copper, aluminum, and their alloys. It also discusses the probes available to monitor conditions relevant to MIC in industrial systems and the sampling and analysis of conditions usually achieved by the installation of removable coupons in the target system. The article also explains the prevention and control strategies of MIC in industrial systems.