Comparison of uranium release from spent fuel and unirradiated UO/sub 2/ in salt brine

Conference · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6954095

Gray, W J

Spent fuel and unirradiated UO/sub 2/ were previously reported to have exhibited a 100-fold difference in the total amount of uranium released during static leach tests in salt brine. Two additional studies designed to investigate that differences have now been completed. The first study involved leach tests with UO/sub 2/ pellets that had been doped with plutonium to simulate the alpha activity in spent fuel. The second study consisted of leach tests on spent fuel specimens that originated in the same reactor assembly as those used in previous tests but handled differently following discharge from the reactor. Results from the recently completed tests show that at least 90% of the reported difference between spent fuel and UO/sub 2/ can be attributed to an apparent surface oxidation of the spent fuel specimens after their discharge from the reactor. The effect of alpha radiolysis on the leaching of spent fuel and UO/sub 2/ in salt brine in the presence of an air atmosphere was found to be relatively small in these tests.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6954095
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-14054; CONF-861207-56; ON: DE87004923
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
BRINES
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FUELS
INFORMATION
LEACHING
MATERIALS
METALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTOR MATERIALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUBILITY
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
SPENT FUELS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES