The influence of impurities in Zr-2.5Nb on oxygen and deuterium pickup at 573 K in D₂O

Abstract
Short term corrosion tests in D₂O at 573 K (pH = 10.5) of Zr-2.5wt% Nb containing small, deliberate additions of impurity elements have shown that elements such as Sn, Fe, Cr, V and Si lead to total weight gains lower than a set of Zr-2.5Nb controls. Low total weight gains did not always convert to low deuterium pickups. Low Cr and Fe additions resulted in relatively low deuterium uptakes but high Fe and Sn, in any concentration, caused high deuterium uptake values. Ni additions resulted in high specimen to specimen variability and high percent theoretical deuterium uptakes.