Corrosion of uranium in liquid water under contained conditions with a headspace deuterium overpressure. Part 2: The ternary U + H 2 O (l) + D 2 system

A. Banos*, K. R. Hallam, T. B. Scott

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)
318 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The reaction of unirradiated-U with liquid water under deuterium overpressure was studied by conducting nine separate reactions at different temperatures. Post-corrosion examination of the surfaces was conducted using FIB, SIMS and XRD. Measurements of the reacting-water pH and sample degassing were made after the experiments were stopped. Isotopic labelling allowed better investigation of the mechanisms occurring in this system. The analyses showed that bulk-UH3 forms at the metal-oxide interface. The observed gas evolution reduction in the headspace was attributed to gas suppression of hydrogen generated through oxidation, and not D2 gas migration through the water. This suppression facilitates UH3 formation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)261-270
Number of pages10
JournalCorrosion Science
Volume152
Early online date19 Feb 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 May 2019

Keywords

  • Bulk-UH
  • FIB
  • Threshold pressure
  • Uranium
  • Water corrosion

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Corrosion of uranium in liquid water under contained conditions with a headspace deuterium overpressure. Part 2: The ternary U + H 2 O (l) + D 2 system'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this