Gamma radiolysis of water solutions relevant to the nuclear fuel waste management program

Journal Article · Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Nuclear Technology; (United States)

OSTI ID:5624406

Sunder, S ^[1]; Christensen, H ^[2]

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1. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Pinawa, Manitoba (Canada). Whiteshell Labs., Research Chemistry Branch
2. Studsvik Material, Nykoeping (Sweden)

The gamma radiolysis of water was investigated for conditions relevant to studies of the geological disposal of nuclear fuel waste. Chemical kinetic calculations were carried out for seven systems: argon-purged water; O[sub 2]-purged water; N[sub 2]O-purged water; O[sub 2]-purged solution containing 0.01 mol/[ell] sodium formate; O[sub 2]-purged solution containing 0.01 mol/[ell] t-butanol; N[sub 2]O-purged solution containing 0.01 mol/[ell] Na[sub 2]CO[sub 3]; and argon-purged solution containing 0.169 mol/[ell] Cl[sup [minus]] ions. The initial pH in all systems was set at 9.5. The concentration of the important oxidants and reductants, both molecular and radical species, are presented as a function of the dose rate and the radiolysis time. In almost all cases, radical species are at steady state after 20 h of irradiation. In argon-saturated solutions, concentrations of all radiolysis products are low (<4 [times] 10[sup [minus]8] mol/[ell]). In oxygen-saturated solutions containing formate, an H[sub 2]O[sub 2] concentration as high as 1.7 [times] 10[sup [minus]3] mol/[ell] was calculated after 20 h of irradiation at a dose rate of 280 Gy/h.

• OSTI ID: 5624406
• Journal Information: Nuclear Technology; (United States), Vol. 104:3; ISSN 0029-5450
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
SPENT FUELS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WATER
RADIOLYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
GRANITES
GROUND WATER
PH VALUE
RADIOISOTOPES
REDOX POTENTIAL
REDUCING AGENTS
SOLUTIONS
CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
ISOTOPES
KINETICS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MIXTURES
NUCLEAR FUELS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIC ROCKS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
REACTION KINETICS
REACTOR MATERIALS
ROCKS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal &amp; Storage
053002 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects- Radioactive Effluents- (1992-)