the corrosion of a component in a water - guiding loop of a nuclear facility is reduced . a protective layer is produced with a sol - gel process . prior to the sol application , water that wettens the component is removed from the conduction system and the component is optionally dried in a separate step . after the sol - gel process has been carried out , the conduction system is again filled with water . a liquid sol film that is produced on the component is dried , especially by means of hot air . a component in the primary system of a boiling water reactor can especially be coated with a highly corrosion - resistant zirconium oxide protective layer according to the sol - gel process .