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Received: March 30, 2020; Revised: May 24, 2020; Accepted: May 25, 2020
Abstract: Immersion tests of Alloy 600 were conducted in simulated primary water environments of a pressurized water reactor at 325 °C for 10, 100, and 1000 h to obtain insight into effects of surface deformation on internal and intergranular (IG) oxidation behavior through precise characterization using various microscopic equipment. Oxidized samples after immersion tests were covered with polyhedral and filamentous oxides. It was found that oxides were abundant in mechanically ground (MG) samples the most. The number density of surface oxides increased with time irrespective of the method of surface finish. IG oxidation occurred in mechanically polished (MP) and chemically polished (CP) samples with thin internal oxidation layers. However, IG oxidation was suppressed with relatively thick internal oxidation layers in MG samples compared to MP and CP samples, suggesting that MG treatment could increase resistance to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) from the standpoint of IG oxidation. As a result, appropriate surface treatment for Alloy 600 could prevent oxygen diffusion into grain boundaries, inhibit IG oxidation, and finally induce its high PWSCC resistance.