Dissolution testing of a metallic waste form in chloride brine

This paper is intended for publication in the peer-reviewed proceedings from the Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management (at the Fall 2006 meeting of the Materials Research Society). The same material was presented in a 15-minute talk. Argonne National Laboratory has developed an electrometallurgical process for conditioning spent sodium-bonded metallic reactor fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II). One waste stream from this process consists of a metal waste form (MWF) whose baseline composition is stainless steel alloyed with 15 wt% Zr (SS-15Zr) and whose microstructure is a eutectic intergrowth of iron solid solutions and Fe-Zr-Cr-Ni intermetallics. This paper reports scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations of corrosion products formed during static immersion tests in which coupons of surrogate MWF containing 10 wt% U (SS-15Zr-10U) were immersed in solutions with nominal pH values of 3 and 4 and 1000 ppm added chloride for 70 days at 50 °C. Although the majority of the surface areas of the coupons appear unchanged, linear areas with localized corrosion products apparently consisting of porous materials overlying corrosion-product-filled channels formed on both coupons, cross-cutting phase boundaries in the original eutectic microstructures. Many of the linear areas intersected the sample edge at notches present before the tests or followed linear flaws visible in pre-test images. Compositions of corrosion products differed significantly from the bulk composition, and the maximum observed concentration of U in corrosion products (~25 at%) slightly exceeded the highest reported values in actinide-bearing phases in uncorroded surrogate MWF samples with comparable concentrations of U (~17-19 at%)

Background X-ray Spectrum of Radioactive Samples

An energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) is commonly used with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to analyze the elemental compositions and microstructures of a variety of samples. For example, the microstructures of nuclear fuels are commonly investigated with this technique. However, the radioactivity of some materials introduces additional X-rays that contribute to the EDS background spectrum. These X-rays are generally not accounted for in spectral analysis software, and can cause misleading results. X-rays from internal conversion [1], Bremsstrahlung [2] radiation associated with alpha ionizations and beta particle interactions [3], and gamma rays from radioactive decay can all elevate the background of radioactive materials

Microstructural Changes In Thermally Cycled U-Pu-Zr-Am-Np Metallic Transmutation Fuel With 1.5% Lanthanides

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is developing metallic actinide-zirconium alloy fuels for the transmutation of minor actinides as part of a closed fuel cycle. The molten salt electrochemical process to be used for fuel recycle has the potential to carry over up to 2% fission product lanthanide content into the fuel fabrication process. Within the scope of the fuel irradiation testing program at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), candidate metal alloy transmutation fuels containing quantities of lanthanide elements have been fabricated, characterized, and delivered to the Advanced Test Reactor for irradiation testing

Phase identifications in crud from commercial boiling-water reactors at the Idaho National Laboratory by transmission electron microscopy

Summarizes results of two studies of "crud" at the INL. All data is from INL/EXT-06-11742 and INL/JOU-06-11507 and has been previously released for publication

Post-Irradiation-Examination of Irradiated Fuel Outside the Hot Cell

Because of their high radioactivity, irradiated fuels are commonly examined in a hot cell. However, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has recently investigated irradiated U-Mo-Al metallic fuel from the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) project using a conventional unshielded scanning electron microscope outside a hot cell. This examination was possible because of a two-step sample-preparation approach in which a small volume of fuel was isolated in a hot cell and shielding was introduced during later stages of sample preparation. The resulting sample contained numerous sample-preparation artifacts but allowed analysis of microstructures from selected areas