Degradation of EBR-II driver fuel during wet storage
Characterization data are reported for sodium bonded EBR-II reactor fuel which had been stored underwater in containers since the 1981--1982 timeframe. Ten stainless steel storage containers, which had leaked water during storage due to improper sealing, were retrieved from the ICPP-603 storage basin at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) in Idaho. In the container chosen for detailed destructive analysis, the stainless steel cladding on the uranium alloy fuel had ruptured and fuel oxide sludge filled the bottom of the container. Headspace gas sampling determined that greater than 99% hydrogen was present. Cesium 137, which had leached out of the fuel during the aqueous corrosion process, dominated the radionuclide source term of the water. The metallic sodium from the fuel element bond had reacted with the water, forming a concentrated caustic solution of NaOH.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 752893
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/ED/CP-101307; TRN: US0003122
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ANS 4th Topical Meeting - DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel and Fissile Material Management, San Diego, CA (US), 06/04/2000--06/08/2000; Other Information: PBD: 9 Mar 2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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