The approach of isolating high-level nuclear waste in the designated site of Yucca Mountain (Nevada) is to separate it from the environment using a series of engineering and natural barriers. The container for the waste will consist of two concentric metal cylinders. The outer cylinder is going to be fabricated of Alloy 22 (N06022). If water is present at the site, several corrosion processes may occur. These include passive or general corrosion, localized corrosion and environmentally assisted cracking. The occurrence of one (or more) mode of corrosion over another will be determined by the redox potential of the aqueous electrolyte that may enter in contact with the container. This redox potential will also control the corrosion potential (Ecorr) of the container. This paper summarizes the findings of an extensive laboratory testing aimed at measuring Ecorr of Alloy 22 in presence of a variety of electrolyte solutions. Some of these solutions are multi-ionic electrolytes that may simulate concentrated ground waters at the repository. Others are simple solutions of pure salts, which are highly unlikely for an underground repository but that may establish an extreme bounding condition. Current results show that the highest measured potential for Alloy 22 was approximately +0.3 to +0.4 V in the saturated silver chloride [SSC] scale. Most of the Ecorr values are in the order of 0 V [SSC] or below.
Keywords: high-level nuclear waste, N06022, corrosion potential, temperature, electrolyte composition