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Dissolution of used Candu Fuel at Various Temperatures and Redox Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

S. Stroes-Gascoyne
Affiliation:
Atomiuc Energy of Canaoa Limited, Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Pinawa, Manitoba, ROE 1LO, Canada.
L. H. Johnson
Affiliation:
Atomiuc Energy of Canaoa Limited, Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Pinawa, Manitoba, ROE 1LO, Canada.
P. A. Beeley
Affiliation:
Atomiuc Energy of Canaoa Limited, Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Pinawa, Manitoba, ROE 1LO, Canada.
D. M. Sellinger
Affiliation:
Atomiuc Energy of Canaoa Limited, Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Pinawa, Manitoba, ROE 1LO, Canada.
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Abstract

Samples of used UO2 fuel exposed to air-saturated water at 25°C for eight years have been examined using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results, in conjunction with solution analysis uata, show evidence for a UO3.2H2O precipitate on the fuel surface, and confirm the importance of grain-boundary leaching in controlling Cs-137 release. Studies of useo-fuel dissolution under both oxidizing and reducing conditions at 150°C show significantly lower radionuclide release to solution for reducing conditions, illustrating the potential importance of reoox chemistry in determining the long-term stability of used fuel after disposal.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1985

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