Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T13:14:52.612Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Leaching Behavior of Unirradiated High Temperature Reactor (HTR) UO2-ThO2 Mixed Oxides Fuel Particles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Catherine Landesman ,
Sandra Delaunay  and
Bernd Grambow
Catherine Landesman
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Subatech, UMR 6457, F-44307 Nantes Cedex 03, France
Sandra Delaunay
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Subatech, UMR 6457, F-44307 Nantes Cedex 03, France
Bernd Grambow
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Subatech, UMR 6457, F-44307 Nantes Cedex 03, France
Get access

Abstract

The dissolution rate of small UO2, ThO2 and mixed UO2–ThO2 particles, representative of unirradiated HTR fuel, are investigated in the pH range 1.7 to 5.5 under oxic conditions. For UO2 particles, the dissolution is kinetically control while for ThO2 particles, a solubility control mechanism seems to prevail for pH > 2. In the mixed oxides UO2–ThO2 particles, a selective release of uranium is observed, which could be either the result of a dissolution/precipitation mechanism in which thorium reprecipitate as oxide or hydroxide phase, or a result of a higher accessible surface area. Under oxic conditions, uranium may be considered as a tracer for the other soluble elements. So, assuming constant conditions with time, one can estimate from these preliminary results that unirradiated thorium based fuel kernels seem to present intrinsic confinement properties for 15000 years relative to soluble elements.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 807: Symposium Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVII , 2003 , 95
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Nickel, H., Nabielek, H., Pott, G., Mehner, A.W., Nuclear Eng. Design 27, 141–151 (2002)Google Scholar
2. Schenk, W., Naoumidis, A., Nickel, H., Journal of Nuclear Materials 24, 25–32 (1984)Google Scholar
3. Schenk, W., Pott, G., Nabielek, H., Jounal of Nuclear Materials 7, 19–30 (1990)Google Scholar
4. Grambow, B., Loida, A., Martinez-Esparza, A., Dias-Arocas, P., de Pablo, J., Paul, J.L., Marx, G., Glatz, J.P, Lemmens, K., Ollila, K., Christensen, H., European Commission EUR 19140 EN, 2000, BrusselsGoogle Scholar
5. Hubert, S., Barthelet, K., Fourest, B., Lagarde, G., Dacheux, N., Baglan, N., Journal of Nuclear Materials, 297, 206–213 (2001)Google Scholar
6. Neck, V., Kim, J.I., Radiochimica Acta, 89, 1–16 (2001)Google Scholar