Corrosion issues of carbon steel radioactive waste packages exposed to cementitious materials with respect to the Belgian supercontainer concept

The supercontainer is the reference concept for the post-conditioning of vitrified high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel in Belgium. It comprises a prefabricated concrete buffer that completely surrounds a carbon steel overpack. In this highly alkaline environment (pH ∼13.6) and under normal conditions (i.e. without the ingress of aggressive species), the carbon steel overpack will be protected by a passive oxide film, which is expected to...