An electrochemical technique for controlled dissolution of zirconium based components of light water reactors

Chatterjee, Sayandev; Fujimoto, Meghan S.; Canfield, Nathan L.; Elmore, Monte R.; Olson, Devin W.; Buck, Edgar C.; Conroy, Michele A.; Varga, Tamas; Senor, David J.

doi:10.1039/C8RA08693A

Title: An electrochemical technique for controlled dissolution of zirconium based components of light water reactors

Journal Article · Mon Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 2019 · RSC Advances

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/C8RA08693A· OSTI ID:1490768

^[1];

^[1]; Canfield, Nathan L. ^[1]; Elmore, Monte R. ^[1]; Olson, Devin W. ^[1];

^[1]; Conroy, Michele A. ^[1]; Varga, Tamas ^[2]; Senor, David J. ^[1]

Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, USA
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, USA

Zircaloy-4 (Zr-4) based liners and getters are the principle functional components of Tritium-Producing Burnable Absorber Rods (TPBARs) in light water nuclear reactors where they reduce tritiated water into tritium gas. Upon tritium exposure, zirconium tritide is formed, which changes the chemical composition, structure and morphology of these materials. Their thermodynamic properties are affected by (i) the hydride phase identity, (ii) radial and spatial tritide/hydride (T/H) distribution, and (iii) the changes in structure and morphology of the material upon T/H-migration, and their comprehensive knowledge is needed to predict performance of these materials. This work demonstrates that controlled potential electrochemistry techniques to be highly efficient for controlled oxidative radial dissolution of Zr-4 based liners (both unloaded and loaded with hydride/deuteride as chemical surrogates for tritium). The electrodissolution is further combined with microscopic techniques to accurately determine the distribution of hydride phases. This work demonstrates a reliable technique for radially etching the liners after irradiation to provide insight into the radial and spatial distribution of tritium within the TPBAR, improving the fundamental understanding of tritium transport and providing a basis for validating predictive models.

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Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1490768

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1491720

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-140123; RSCACL

Journal Information:: RSC Advances, Journal Name: RSC Advances Vol. 9 Journal Issue: 4; ISSN 2046-2069

Publisher:: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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Cited by: 1 work

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