H 2O 2 and radiation induced dissolution of UO 2 and SIMFUEL pellets
Abstract
Dissolution of the UO 2 matrix is of major importance in the safety assessment of a future deep repository for spent nuclear fuel. The aim of this work is to elucidate if the observed differences in dissolution rates between SIMFUEL and UO 2 can be attributed to differences in oxidant reactivity towards these two materials. To elucidate this, the oxidative dissolution of U(VI) and consumption of H 2O 2 have been studied for UO 2 and SIMFUEL pellets under N 2 and H 2 atmosphere. The H 2O 2 and U(VI) concentrations have been measured as a function of reaction time. In addition, γ-radiation induced dissolution UO 2 and SIMFUEL pellets have been studied. The experiments show that while the reactivity of the two types of pellets towards H 2O 2 is almost identical and in good agreement with the previously determined rate constant for the reaction, the dissolution rates differ considerably. The significantly lower rate of dissolution of the SIMFUEL pellet is attributed to an increased fraction of catalytic decomposition of H 2O 2. The radiation chemical experiments reveal a similar but less pronounced difference between the two types of pellets. This implies that the relative impact of the radiolytic oxidants in radiation induced UO 2 dissolution differs between a pure UO 2 pellet and SIMFUEL.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Nuclear Materials
- Pub Date:
- March 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2011.01.020
- Bibcode:
- 2011JNuM..410...89N