Modelling uranium dioxide corrosion under repository conditions: A pore-scale study of the chemical and thermal processes

Liu, Min; Kang, Qinjun; Xu, Hongwu

doi:10.1016/j.corsci.2020.108530

Modelling uranium dioxide corrosion under repository conditions: A pore-scale study of the chemical and thermal processes

Journal Article · Mon Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Corrosion Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2020.108530· OSTI ID:1601413

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Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

This paper investigates the corrosion behaviors of spent uranium dioxide (UO₂) fuel when placed in geological repositories. We performed pore-scale reactive transport simulations of the UO₂ corrosion process in a defective fuel rod with different orientations of breach or fracture on its clad. It is found that the corrosion rate has strong dependency on the breach orientation. The highest corrosion rate of UO₂ is calculated when the angle between the groundwater flow direction and the clad fracture reaches 180°. UO₂ corrosion simulations with different flow rates are compared. The results show the higher flow rate accelerates the corrosion of UO₂ fuel. The effect of pH on the corrosion process is also determined. It is indicated that higher pH can limit the corrosion of UO₂ by reducing the reaction rate. The dependence of reaction rate and time on reactive surface area is explored. Spent fuel with lower surface area demonstrates longer lifetime under corrosion conditions. A numerical model coupling thermal conduction and chemical reactions is developed to assess the impact of temperature on the process of UO₂ corrosion. The results show that higher temperature leads to larger corrosion rates for UO₂. Here, the predicted reaction rates are higher in comparison with the isothermal results. Hence, our results can help improve the fundamental understanding of UO₂ corrosion in geological repositories for long-term storage of spent nuclear fuels and provide guidance for the safe operations and selection of appropriate repositories.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 1601413

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1698074

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--19-28033

Journal Information:: Corrosion Science, Journal Name: Corrosion Science Vol. 167; ISSN 0010-938X

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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