1D simulation of canister galvanic corrosion in saturated compacted bentonite

This work is focused on the evaluation of the influence of galvanic couples between materials for radioactive waste canisters. The materials considered are carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, and titanium alloy. All materials were tested by means of potentiodynamic curves and zero resistance ammetry. The specific resistivity of compacted bentonite was estimated in a special cell. These results were used for simple one‐dimensional numeric simulation of a galvanic couple. The conductivity of saturated compacted bentonite is excellent and the reach of galvanic corrosion is high. The influence on the corrosion rate of anodic carbon steel is negligible, but it allows for the employment of a large area of cathodic materials, which could be susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.