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Title: ELECTROCHEMICAL STUDIES OF URANIUM METAL CORROSION MECHANISM AND KINETICS IN WATER

Conference ·
OSTI ID:947938

During long-term underwater storage of low burn-up uranium metal fuel, a corrosion product sludge forms containing uranium metal grains1, uranium dioxide1,2, uranates1 and, in some cases, uranium peroxide1,3. Literature data on the corrosion of non-irradiated uranium metal and its alloys2,4 do not allow unequivocal prediction of the paragenesis of irradiated uranium in water. The goal of the present work conducted under the program «CORROSION OF IRRADIATED URANIUM ALLOYS FUEL IN WATER» is to study the corrosion of uranium and uranium alloys and the paragenesis of the corrosion products during long-term underwater storage of uranium alloy fuel irradiated at the Hanford Site. The elucidation of the physico-chemical nature of the corrosion of irradiated uranium alloys in comparison with non-irradiated uranium metal and its alloys is one of the most important aspects of this work. Electrochemical methods are being used to study uranium metal corrosion mechanism and kinetics. The present part of work aims to examine and revise, where appropriate, the understanding of uranium metal corrosion mechanism and kinetics in water.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
947938
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-53355; TRN: US0901524
Resource Relation:
Conference: Recent Advances in Actinide Science, 305:397-399
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English