Model for corrosion of copper in a nuclear waste repository

Abstract

A mathematical model for corrosion of copper under a droplet, developed in a previous paper, was applied for conditions suitable for the Canadian nuclear waste repository under two models for oxygen decay. The influence of temperature was included, and the model accounted for the influence of films on reaction rate constants. The model shows the time-dependent localized corrosion rates and depths, calculated here for an elapsed time of ten years. Preliminary results show that the corrosion of copper is almost uniform on the electrode surface. Temperature and oxygen concentration is shown to have a strong contribution to copper corrosion.