In-situ, time resolved monitoring of uranium in BFS:OPC grout. Part 1: Corrosion in water vapour

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08601-x

Authors: C. A. Stitt (University of Bristol) , C. Paraskevoulakos (University of Bristol) , A. Banos (University of Bristol) , N. J. Harker (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)) , K. R. Hallam (University of Bristol) , A. Davenport (University of Birmingham) , S. Street (University of Birmingham) , T. B. Scott (University of Bristol)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Scientific Reports , VOL 7

State: Published (Approved)
Published: August 2017
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 8336 , 9127

Abstract: Uranium encapsulated in grout was exposed to water vapour for extended periods of time. Through synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction and tomography measurements, uranium dioxide was determined the dominant corrosion product over a 50-week time period. The oxide growth rate initiated rapidly, with rates comparable to the U + H2O reaction. Over time, the reaction rate decreased and eventually plateaued to a rate similar to the U + H2O + O2 reaction. This behaviour was not attributed to oxygen ingress, but instead the decreasing permeability of the grout, limiting oxidising species access to the metal surface.

Journal Keywords: Materials science; Nuclear waste

Subject Areas: Chemistry, Materials, Environment


Instruments: I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing

Added On: 22/08/2017 12:06

Documents:
s41598-017-08601-x.pdf

Discipline Tags:

Earth Sciences & Environment Radioactive Materials Physical Chemistry Chemistry Corrosion Materials Science Nuclear Waste

Technical Tags:

Diffraction Imaging X-ray Powder Diffraction Tomography