Research Progress on the Influence of Zinc Water Chemistry on Material Corrosion Behavior in Pressurized Water Reactor Primary Circuits
Zhihao Huang, Shenghan Zhang, Zhilin Wang, Yu Tan, Kexin LiangABSTRACT
Primary circuit water chemistry is vital for safe, economic PWR operation. Zinc water chemistry (ZWC) improves material corrosion resistance and reduces radiation exposure. This review covers PWR status, ZWC evolution, and effects on austenitic stainless steels, nickel‐based alloys, fuel cladding, and fusion materials. In austenitic stainless steels and nickel‐based alloys, Zn replaces Fe 2+ /Ni 2+ at tetrahedral sites, forming protective ZnFe 2 O 4 /ZnCr 2 O 4 and continuous Cr 2 O 3 inner layers, lowering corrosion current, SCC growth, and 60 Co deposition. Zn cannot enter the ZrO 2 lattice, so it offers no direct protection for zirconium alloys but indirectly controls CRUD deposition by reducing corrosion of other materials. In FeCrAl alloys, Zn acts similarly to austenitic stainless steels, while the mechanism for Cr‐coated zirconium alloys is unclear. ZWC remains effective in boron‐free SMRs but shows limited protection for fusion materials like EUROFER‐97; studies on vanadium alloys, ODS steels, and SiC/SiC composites are still lacking. Integrating these effects, this review proposes coolant chemistry parameters and outlines future ZWC research.