Categorical Exclusion Determination
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
April 11, 2017
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The University of Wisconsin proposes to develop corrosion capabilities in the Environmental Degradation of Nuclear Materials Laboratory, a relatively recent facility used to study the coupling between irradiation and corrosion of nuclear materials using state of the art in-situ techniques and materials characterization techniques specifically dedicated to corrosion induced degradation of nuclear materials. To accomplish the objectives, the university will purchase a controlled recirculation loop (stainless steel 316, max. temperature 360ºC, max. pressure of 200 bar and volume flow rate 15 l/h) which will be connected to the autoclave. A recirculation loop provides stable and controlled water chemistry for the entire testing duration in the autoclave. This recirculation loop consists of two parts: a low-pressure part for water regeneration and a high-pressure part for water pressurization, heating and cooling. The university will also purchase a Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES) to characterize nuclear materials degradation.