Corrosion at the liquid air interface (LAI) could pose threat on the integrity of nuclear waste storage
tanks. However, a clear understanding on the initiation mechanism of LAI corrosion is still lacking. This
research aimed to identify the key factors, which make the A537 steel susceptible to LAI corrosion and
possibly further the understanding of LAI corrosion mechanism. A novel approach was applied to
extract the solution in the meniscus region and nitrate/nitrite concentrations were analyzed
subsequently. The susceptibility of A537 steel to crevice corrosion was also evaluated due to the
similarity of crevice corrosion to LAI corrosion in that the corrosion propagated in a locally aggressive
chemistry. Attempts were made to develop an engineering approach to rapidly evaluate the propensity
of nuclear waste tank material to LAI corrosion in various waste simulants.
Key words: Liquid-air-interface (LAI) corrosion, Crevice corrosion, Nuclear waste simulant, A537 carbon
steel