Deliquescence Behavior of Surface Deposits on Spent Fuel Dry Storage Containers in Coastal Nuclear Power Plants

ZHANG Feng; LIU Dawei; GUI Chun; CHEN Yuyang; LI Cheng; TANG Yi; CHEN Yinqiang

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.036

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (11) : 348-353. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.036

Equipment Protection

Deliquescence Behavior of Surface Deposits on Spent Fuel Dry Storage Containers in Coastal Nuclear Power Plants

ZHANG Feng, LIU Dawei^*, GUI Chun, CHEN Yuyang, LI Cheng, TANG Yi, CHEN Yinqiang

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Abstract

The work aims to reveal the ion composition characteristics and deliquescence behavior of deposits on the surface of spent fuel dry storage canisters in coastal nuclear power plants, identify key operating conditions for corrosion prevention and control, and provide a theoretical basis for the design of deposit deliquescence state monitoring systems and the development of corrosion control measures. Deposits were collected from the surface of a spent fuel horizontal storage module (HSM) container in a coastal nuclear power plant in China. Systematic composition analysis and deliquescence performance tests were conducted. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICAP) and high-performance ion chromatography (HPIC) were used to analyze the soluble ion composition. A dedicated polytetrafluoroethylene-copper electrode sample holder was designed to measure the resistance variation under relative humidity ranging from 30% to 95% at temperatures between 5 °C and 70 °C. The main anions in the deposits were NO₃^- and SO₄^2-, and the main cations were Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺, which were significantly different from the ion composition of sea salt. The logarithm of electrical resistance of the deposits showed a good linear relationship with relative humidity at all tested temperatures. The deposits were relatively less prone to deliquescence, and the minimum relative humidity required for deliquescence was significantly affected by temperature. Overall, the minimum deliquescence relative humidity decreased with the increasing temperature, but anomalously increased at 20 °C and 45 °C. At 40 °C, the temperature was relatively high while the minimum deliquescence relative humidity was low, making it a critical condition for corrosion prevention. This work clarifies the ion composition characteristics and temperature-dependent complex deliquescence behavior of deposits on the surface of spent fuel dry storage canisters in coastal nuclear power plants. It confirms that 40 °C is a high-risk condition for stress corrosion cracking and should be regarded as the key temperature for corrosion prevention. The results provide a theoretical basis for the design of deliquescence state monitoring systems and the formulation of corrosion control measures.

Key words

spent fuel dry storage container / stress corrosion cracking / deposits / deliquescence performance / resistance characteristics / temperature and humidity effects

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ZHANG Feng, LIU Dawei, GUI Chun, CHEN Yuyang, LI Cheng, TANG Yi, CHEN Yinqiang. Deliquescence Behavior of Surface Deposits on Spent Fuel Dry Storage Containers in Coastal Nuclear Power Plants[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(11): 348-353 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.036

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