23 research outputs found
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Analytical and numerical models of uranium ignition assisted by hydride formation
Analytical and numerical models of uranium ignition assisted by the oxidation of uranium hydride are described. The models were developed to demonstrate that ignition of large uranium ingots could not occur as a result of possible hydride formation during storage. The thermodynamics-based analytical model predicted an overall 17 C temperature rise of the ingot due to hydride oxidation upon opening of the storage can in air. The numerical model predicted locally higher temperature increases at the surface; the transient temperature increase quickly dissipated. The numerical model was further used to determine conditions for which hydride oxidation does lead to ignition of uranium metal. Room temperature ignition only occurs for high hydride fractions in the nominally oxide reaction product and high specific surface areas of the uranium metal
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Microstructure and Strength Characteristics of Alloy 617 Welds
Three types of high-temperature joints were created from alloy 617 base metal: fusion welds, braze joints, and diffusion bonds. The microstructures of all joint types and tensile properties of fusion welds and braze joints were characterized. Sound fusion welds were created by the GTAW process with alloy 617 filler wire. Cross-weld tensile strengths were equal to the parent metal at temperatures of 25, 800, and 1000°C; ductilities of the joints were only slightly lower than that of the parent metal. Failure occurred in the weld fusion zone at room temperature and in the parent metal at elevated temperatures. Incomplete wetting occurred in joints produced by vacuum brazing using AWS BNi-1 braze alloy, believed to be due to tenacious Al and Ti oxide formation. Incompletely bonded butt joints showed relatively poor tensile properties. A second set of braze joints has been created with faying surfaces electroplated with pure Ni prior to brazing; characterization of these joints is in progress. Conditions resulting in good diffusion bonds characterized by grain growth across the bondline and no porosity were determined: vacuum bonding at 1150°C for 3 hours with an initial uniaxial stress of 20 MPa (constant ram displacement). A 15 µm thick pure Ni interlayer was needed to achieve grain growth across the bondline. Tensile testing of diffusion bonds is in progres
Análise microestrutural e tenacidade ao impacto da ZAC do aço inoxidável ferrÃtico com 11%Cr
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Characterization of uranium corrosion products involved in the March 13, 1998 fuel manufacturing facility pyrophoric event.
Uranium metal corrosion products from ZPPR fuel plates involved in the March 13, 1998 pyrophoric event in the Fuel Manufacturing Facility at Argonne National Laboratory-West were characterized using thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and BET gas sorption techniques. Characterization was performed on corrosion products in several different conditions: immediately after separation from the source metal, after low-temperature passivation, after passivation and extended vault storage, and after burning in the pyrophoric event. The ignition temperatures and hydride fractions of the corrosion product were strongly dependent on corrosion extent. Corrosion products from plates with corrosion extents less than 0.7% did not ignite in TGA testing, while products from plates with corrosion extents greater than 1.2% consistently ignited. Corrosion extent is defined as mass of corrosion products divided by the total mass of uranium. The hydride fraction increased with corrosion extent. There was little change in corrosion product properties after low-temperature passivation or vault storage. The burned products were not reactive and contained no hydride; the principal constituents were UO{sub 2} and U{sub 3}O{sub 7}. The source of the event was a considerable quantity of reactive hydride present in the corrosion products. No specific ignition mechanism could be conclusively identified. The most likely initiator was a static discharge in the corrosion product from the 14th can as it was poured into the consolidation can. The available evidence does not support scenarios in which the powder in the consolidation can slowly self-heated to the ignition point, or in which the powder in the 14th can was improperly passivated
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Characterization of uranium and uranium-zirconium deposits produced in electrorefining of spent nuclear fuel
This paper describes the metallurgical characterization of deposits produced in molten salt electrorefining of uranium and uranium - 10.% zirconium alloy. The techniques of characterization are described with emphasis on considerations given to the radioactive and pyrophoric nature of the samples. The morphologies observed and their implications for deposit performance are also presented - samples from pure uranium deposits were comprised of chains of uranium crystals with a characteristic rhomboidal shape, while morphologies of samples from deposits containing zirconium showed more polycrystalline features. Zirconium was found to be present as a second, zirconium metal phase at or very near the uranium-zirconium dendrite surfaces. Higher collection efficiencies and total deposit weights were observed for the uranium-zirconium deposits; this performance increase is likely a result of better mechanical properties exhibited by the uranium-zirconium dendrite morphology. 18 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab
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A review of the corrosion and pyrophoricity behavior of uranium and plutonium
This report presents a review of the corrosion and pyrophoricity behavior of uranium and plutonium. For each element, the reactions with oxygen, water vapor, and aqueous solutions are described in terms of reaction rates, products, and mechanisms. Their pyrophoric tendencies in terms of measured ignition temperatures are discussed, and the effects of the important variables specific area, gas composition, and prior storage rare stated. The implications of the observed behavior for current storage issues are considered
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Corrosion and pyrophoricity of ZPPR fuel plates: Implications for basin storage
This paper presents the results of recent experimentation and analysis of the pyrophoric behavior of corroded Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) HEU fuel plates and the implications of these results for the handling, drying, and passivation of uranium metal fuels stored in water basins. The ZPPR plates were originally clad in 1980; crevice corrosion of the uranium metal in a dry storage environment has occurred due to the use of porous cladding end plugs. The extensive corrosion has resulted in bulging and, in some cases, breaching of the cladding over a 15 year storage period. Processing of the plates has been initiated to recover the highly enriched uranium metal and remove the storage vulnerability identified with the corroded plates, which have been shown to contain significant quantities of the pyrophoric compound uranium hydride (UH{sub 3}). Experiments were undertaken to determine effective passivation techniques for the corrosion product; analysis and modeling was performed to determine whether heat generated by rapid hydride re-oxidation could ignite the underlying metal plates. The results of the initial passivation experiment showed that simple exposure of the hydride-containing corrosion product to an Ar-3 vol.% O{sub 2} environment was insufficient to fully passivate the hydride--flare-up of the product occurred during subsequent vigorous handling in air. A second experiment demonstrated that corrosion product was fully stable following grinding of the product to a fine powder in the Ar-3 vol.% O{sub 2} atmosphere. Numerical modeling of a corroded plate indicated that ignition of the plate due to the heat from hydride re-oxidation was likely if hydride fractions in the corrosion product exceeded 30%