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Caustic Stress Corrosion Cracking Analysis

Summary & Discussion | Wetted Parts | Pools/Tanks Containing Alkali Metal | CEI Experience | Notes

Pools or Tanks Containing Alkali Metal

Pools of metal present a different situation from wetted parts. With large amounts of reactive metal in one location, the temperature can be expected to rise rapidly and controllably; the pool temperature would become a process-control condition. The pool temperature would be ideally maintained above 340°C but not higher than necessary. At these temperatures, the caustic remains anhydrous, and all data available indicates no caustic stress corrosion cracking (CSCC) problem for anhydrous caustic. It is also necessary to have the localized stresses above the minimum threshold required at the particular combination of temperature and anhydrous caustic. Should all the above conditions be correct for CSCC to occur, there is still the factor of the time required for CSCC to occur at those conditions. This time is also unknown, but most articles refer to a timeframe that is measured in many hours, even under the conditions ideal for CSCC.

In short, there is no data or reported failures to indicate that the high-temperature reaction of alkali metal to caustic will cause CSCC.

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