Carbon monoxide reaction with liquid uranium-niobium alloys

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6970634· OSTI ID:6970634

Reiner, R H; Holcombe, Jr, C E

The reaction kinetics of liquid uranium and uranium-niobium (U-Nb) alloys with carbon monoxide (CO) were determined as functions of niobium composition, exposure time, exposure temperature, CO pressure, and specific surface area of the liquid-vacuum interface. The experimental results indicate that this reaction is a major source of carbon contamination during foundry casting of uranium-2 wt % niobium alloys (Y-12 process number 3036), being at least ten times as important as the yttria coating reaction with graphite. Uranium alloy reactions with CO decrease with increasing niobium concentration, indicating that most CO-produced carbon contamination in 3036 castings occurs from reaction with uranium feed. The reaction kinetics of CO with U-Nb alloys are consistent with CO diffusion at the liquid-vacuum interface as the rate-determining step. 5 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OS21400
• OSTI ID: 6970634
• Report Number(s): Y-2378; ON: DE87004552
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400201* -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
400702 -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Properties of Radioactive Materials
ACTINIDE ALLOYS
ACTINIDES
ALLOYS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
INTERFACES
KINETICS
METALS
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRESSURE EFFECTS
REACTION KINETICS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
URANIUM
URANIUM ALLOYS