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Effects of air oxidation on the dissolution rate of LWR spent fuel

Conference ·
OSTI ID:62189
; ;  [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
Dissolution rates for air-oxidized spent fuel were measured in flowthrough tests where U concentrations were kept well below the solubility limit. Results from two types of specimens, separated grains and coarse particles, both in oxidized (U{sub 4}O{sub 9+x}) and unoxidized (UO{sub 2}) conditions indicated only minor effects of oxidation on the surface-area-normalized rates. Similar results were obtained for unirradiated specimens in three different oxidation states (UO{sub 2}, U{sub 3}O{sub 7}, and U{sub 3}O{sub 8}). These observations have important practical implications for disposal of spent fuel in a geologic repository as well as implications regarding the oxidative dissolution mechanism of UO{sub 2} fuel.
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
62189
Report Number(s):
CONF-921101--Vol.294
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English