Effect of electropolishing on general corrosion of Alloy 690TT tubes in simulated primary coolant of pressurized water reactors

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of electropolishing (EP) time on the general corrosion of Alloy 690TT steam generator tubes in a simulated PWR primary water of at 330 degrees C. The surface roughness and nanohardness of the tubes gradually decreased, and the electron work function and water contact angle gradually increased with increasing the EP time. However, the effect of EP time on the surface properties mainly changed after 8 min. The corrosion rate was reduced through EP treatment by approximately 60% compared to that of the commercial as-received tube.