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Behavior of UO2 in the RBMK-1000 Spent Fuel under Oxidizing Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

A. B. Kolyadin ,
V. Ya. Mishin ,
K. Ya. Mishin ,
A. S. Aloy  and
T. I. Koltsova
A. B. Kolyadin
Affiliation:
RPA, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, E–mail: aloy@atom.nw.ru
V. Ya. Mishin
Affiliation:
RPA, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, E–mail: aloy@atom.nw.ru
K. Ya. Mishin
Affiliation:
RPA, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, E–mail: aloy@atom.nw.ru
A. S. Aloy
Affiliation:
RPA, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, E–mail: aloy@atom.nw.ru
T. I. Koltsova
Affiliation:
RPA, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, E–mail: aloy@atom.nw.ru
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Abstract

The oxidation of UO2–type spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in gaseousmedia was studied at different temperatures and oxygen contents using gravimetric and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The aim of the study was to determine the mechanism(s) of thermal-oxidation alteration of SNF during long-term dry storage. The samples used in the experiments were chips of RBMK-1000 fuel rods.Oxidation of UO2with a mean burn-up of 10.7 and 19.73 MW d/kg in humid air was observed at a temperature as low as 150°C. At 200°C nearly all of the UO2was transformed into U3O8 between 3500-4000 hours. In a humid nitrogen environment containing of 0.05-1.3 vol. % oxygen at 300°C, the UO2 completely transformed to U3O8 between 2500-3000 hours. Oxidation of UO2in samples with small amounts of jacket damage (e.g., <0.04 MM2)ll progresses more slowly and after â3000 hours the oxygen-to-uranium ratio was 2.56.Stabilization of the oxidation process was not observed in the fuel samples upto an O/U ratio of 2.4, which may be attributed to the smallburn-up of the fuel under investigation.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 824: Symposium CC – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVIII , 2004 , CC8.51
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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