Titre du document / Document title

Corrosion of commercial spent nuclear fuel. 2. Radiochemical analyses of metastudtite and leachates

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

MCNAMARA Bruce ; HANSON Brady ; BUCK Edgar ; SODERQUIST Chuck ;

Résumé / Abstract

Immersing commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) in deionized water produced two corrosion products after a 2-year contact period. Suspensions of aggregates were observed to form at the air-water interface for each of five samples. These suspended aggregates were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to be metastudtite (UO⁴.2H²O), while the corrosion present on the surface of the fuel itself was determined to be studtite [(UO²)(O²)(H²O)²](H²O)²]. The presence of unreacted UO² matrix was below the limits of detection by XRD for the three samples examined. The result prompted a radiochemical analysis of the solids collected from the sample air-water interface. The analysis indicated that high concentrations of ₉₀Sr, ₁₃₇Cs, and ₉₉Tc, relative to the fuel inventory, had concentrated at the air-water interface along with the aggregates of metastudtite. Concentrations of ₂₄₁Am were at least two orders of magnitude lower than expected in these solids, and retention of ₂₃₇Np and ₂₃₉Pu into the corrosion product was observed. The combined radiochemical analyses of the air-water interface aggregates and leachate samples are a rare example of radionuclide partitioning to an alteration phase and may provide preliminary evidence for mechanisms that give rise to such noticeable departures from fuel-inventory values. The leachate radiochemical data are compared to existing data from hydration of the same CSNF.

Revue / Journal Title

Radiochimica Acta   ISSN 0033-8230   CODEN RAACAP 

Source / Source

2005, vol. 93, n^o3, pp. 169-175 [7 page(s) (article)]

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Oldenbourg, München, ALLEMAGNE  (1962) (Revue)

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 10156, 35400012561297.0070