Corrosion of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Long-Term Assessment

Ewing, Rodney C.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States)

关键词: Corrosion;    Research Programs;    Elements;    Natural Analogue;    Lakes;   

DOI  :  10.2172/833754
RP-ID  :  EMSP-73751--2003
RP-ID  :  FG07-97ER14816
RP-ID  :  833754

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

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).