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Title: Corrosion of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Long-Term Assessment

Abstract

This research program is a broadly based effort to understand the long-term behavior of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and its alteration products in a geologic repository. We have established by experiments and field studies that natural uraninite, UO2+x, and its alteration products are excellent ''natural analogues'' for the study of the corrosion of UO2 in SNF. This on-going research program has addressed the following major issues: (1) What are the long-term corrosion products of natural UO2+x, uraninite, under oxidizing and reducing conditions? (2) What is the paragenesis or the reaction path for the phases that form during alteration? (3) What is the radionuclide content in the corrosion products as compared with the original UO2+x? Do the trace element contents substantiate models developed to predict radionuclide incorporation into the secondary phases? Are the corrosion products accurately predicted from geochemical codes (e.g., EQ3/6 or Geochemist's Workbench) that are used in performance assessments? Can these codes be tested by studies of natural analogue sites (e.g., Oklo, Cigar Lake or Pena Blanca).

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (US)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC) (US)
OSTI Identifier:
833754
Report Number(s):
EMSP-73751-2003
R&D Project: EMSP 73751; TRN: US0406785
DOE Contract Number:  
FG07-97ER14816
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 1 Jun 2003
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CORROSION; CORROSION PRODUCTS; ELEMENTS; LAKES; NATURAL ANALOGUE; NUCLEAR FUELS; PERFORMANCE; RADIOISOTOPES; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; TRACE AMOUNTS

Citation Formats

Ewing, Rodney C. Corrosion of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Long-Term Assessment. United States: N. p., 2003. Web. doi:10.2172/833754.
Ewing, Rodney C. Corrosion of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Long-Term Assessment. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/833754
Ewing, Rodney C. 2003. "Corrosion of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Long-Term Assessment". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/833754. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/833754.
@article{osti_833754,
title = {Corrosion of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Long-Term Assessment},
author = {Ewing, Rodney C},
abstractNote = {This research program is a broadly based effort to understand the long-term behavior of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and its alteration products in a geologic repository. We have established by experiments and field studies that natural uraninite, UO2+x, and its alteration products are excellent ''natural analogues'' for the study of the corrosion of UO2 in SNF. This on-going research program has addressed the following major issues: (1) What are the long-term corrosion products of natural UO2+x, uraninite, under oxidizing and reducing conditions? (2) What is the paragenesis or the reaction path for the phases that form during alteration? (3) What is the radionuclide content in the corrosion products as compared with the original UO2+x? Do the trace element contents substantiate models developed to predict radionuclide incorporation into the secondary phases? Are the corrosion products accurately predicted from geochemical codes (e.g., EQ3/6 or Geochemist's Workbench) that are used in performance assessments? Can these codes be tested by studies of natural analogue sites (e.g., Oklo, Cigar Lake or Pena Blanca).},
doi = {10.2172/833754},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/833754}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2003},
month = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2003}
}