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Solution Composition Effects on the Dissolution of a CeO2 analogue for UO2 and ThO2 nuclear fuels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2015

Claire L. Corkhill ,
Martin C. Stennett  and
Neil C. Hyatt
Claire L. Corkhill
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
Martin C. Stennett
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
Neil C. Hyatt
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
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Abstract

This study investigates the dissolution of CeO2, an isostructural analogue for UO2 and ThO2, which was synthesized to closely approximate the microstructure of a spent nuclear fuel matrix. Dissolution of CeO2 particles was performed in simplified solutions representative of saline, near-neutral and alkaline ground waters that may be encountered in geological disposal scenarios, and in acidic medium for comparison. The normalized mass loss of cerium was found to be significantly influenced by the formation of colloidal particles, especially in the near-neutral and alkaline solutions investigated. The normalized dissolution rate, RL(Ce), k (g m-2 d-1), in these two solutions was found to be similar, but significantly lower than in a nitric acid medium. The activation energies based on the normalized release rate of cerium, at 40°C, 70°C and 90°C in each solution, were in the range of 24 ± 3 kJ mol-1 to 27 ± 7 kJ mol-1, indicative of a surface-mediated dissolution mechanism. The mechanism of dissolution was postulated to be similar in each of the solutions investigated, and further work is proposed to investigate the role of carbonate on the CeO2 dissolution mechanism.

Keywords

colloidcorrosionnuclear materials
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1744: Symposium EE – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXVIII , 2015 , pp. 185 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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References

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