In August 2014 gasket corrosion tests were prepared by placing a 1" Swagelok VCR gasket in a 500mL beaker with de-ionized water and a 1"x3/4"x1/8" piece of 6061 aluminum. Tests were prepared for a silver plated 316L SS gasket (Swagelok PN: SS-16-VCR-2), a silver plated nickel gasket (PN: NI-16-VCR-2), and a TRIUMF made 0.060" thick 6061 Al gasket. The top of the beakers were sealed, and they were left to sit until March 2016.
The Nickel and SS gaskets show no noticeable corrosion. The aluminum gasket became dull in colour, with some corrosion visible on the surface. See attached photos of each gasket. The gaskets have been bagged and stored with beam dump spare parts in the NW corner of the RH Meson Hall hot cell lab. |