Real‐Time Monitoring of Carbon Steel Corrosion Under High‐Dose Gamma Irradiation Using Electrical Resistance Sensors Designed for Deep Geological Repository of Radioactive Waste

ABSTRACT Electrical resistance (ER)‐based corrosion sensors, developed in the context of the Cigeo project (Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal) related to high‐level radioactive waste deep geological disposal, have been qualified under irradiation conditions. The ER sensors used in this study, made of thin (25 µm) AISI 1010 carbon steel, were exposed to atmospheric conditions under three different radiation doses of 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 MGy using a 60 Co radionuclide source of γ‐rays. The results indicate that the developed ER sensors remained reliable even under strong ionizing conditions with no significant reduction of the ER sensor measurement properties. While low relative humidity levels were recorded, ranging between 45% and 60%, the results provided by the ER sensors showed that conditions created under irradiation led to the corrosion of the AISI 1010 carbon steel with a potential dose effect on the carbon steel corrosion rate.