LNM operates several sophisticated high-temperature water loop systems for corrosion and water chemistry investigations in simulated boiling and pressurized water reactor environments. The autoclaves are equipped with electro-mechanical and servo-pneumatic mechanical loading facilities and on-line crack initiation and growth measurement tools (reversed direct current potential drop, compliance and electrochemical noise method) to study environmentally-assisted cracking and environmental effects on the fatigue and fracture behavior of LWR structural materials and fuel claddings. One system is located in an A lab for investigations on irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking. Various electrochemical tools (potentiostats, electrochemical noise and impedance measurement devices, complement the corrosion characterization tools. The corrosion studies are usually supported by various post-test characterization methods, e.g., by electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and surface analytics (SIMS, EPMA, XPS).
9 sophisticated high-temperature water loops with autoclaves for exposure and tensile tests under simulated LWR conditions (1 loop suitable for testing of irradiated specimens)
Other testing facilities (potentiostats, electrochemical noise measurement devices) for corrosion testing and monitoring