Preparation of Aluminum Oxide Films Under Water Exposure – Preliminary Report on 6061 Series Alloys

Aluminum fuel cladding will undergo general corrosion with resulting formation of adherent oxide films during in-reactor and post-discharge exposures under various water conditions and temperatures. The presence of oxides with chemically-bound water can pose challenges for extended dry storage, and an action plan to identify needed technical and engineering activities and analyses to address the identified knowledge gaps and technical data needs was previously prepared [1]. This report is part of the Task 6 activities of that plan.