Behavior of spent LWR fuel in nitrogen and in air
In order to help establish the data base required to determine allowable temperatures and atmospheres for interim dry storage of LWR spent fuel, tests were conducted on four sources of LWR spent fuel in atmospheres of nitrogen and air. Tests with spent fuel in moist nitrogen at 275 and 38/sup 0/C for times up to 2000 hours with a superimposed gamma field of up to 100,000 R/h resulted in only small weight gains. There were no changes in the physical appearance of the specimens. Introduction of air into the nitrogen atmosphere during tests at 380/sup 0/C resulted in rapid powder formation. U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ powder formed only in nonirradiated UO/sub 2/ pellets in air at 200/sup 0/C and higher for times up to 5500 h. Weight gain in air was independent of fuel burnup, but increased with microporosity.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5845469
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-13902; CONF-860417-4; ON: DE86011115
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Assessment of nitrogen as an atmosphere for dry storage of spent LWR fuel
Oxidation behavior of spent UO/sub 2/ fuel
Related Subjects
Handling
& Storage
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360205 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Corrosion & Erosion
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
AIR
BURNUP
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DRY STORAGE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUIDS
FUEL PELLETS
FUELS
GAMMA RADIATION
GASES
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MATERIALS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PELLETS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATIONS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
TIME DEPENDENCE
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS