Estimation of the atmospheric corrosion on metal containers in industrial waste disposal

Solid industrial waste are often stored in metal containers filled with con crete, and placed in well-aerated warehouses, Depending on meteorological c onditions, atmospheric corrosion can induce severe material damages to the metal casing, and this damage has to be predicted to achieve safe storage. This work provides a first estimation of the corrosivity of the local atmos phere adjacent to the walls of the container through a realistic modeling o f heat transfer phenomena which was developed for this purpose. Subsequent simulations of condensation/evaporation of the water vapor in the atmospher e were carried out. Atmospheric corrosion rates and material losses are eas ily deduced. For handling realistic data and comparison, two different mete orological contexts were chosen: (1) an oceanic and damp atmosphere and (2) a drier storage location. Some conclusions were also made for the storage configuration in order to reduce the extent of corrosion phenomena. (C) 200 1 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.