Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-wq484 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T12:13:10.197Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Modeling the Distribution of Acidity within Nuclear Fuel (UO2) Corrosion Product Deposits and Porous Sites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2011

W-J. Cheong ,
P. G. Keech ,
J. C. Wren ,
D. W. Shoesmith  and
Z. Qin
W-J. Cheong
Affiliation:
cheongw@gmail.com, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
P. G. Keech
Affiliation:
pkeech@uwo.ca, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
J. C. Wren
Affiliation:
jcwren@uwo.ca, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
D. W. Shoesmith
Affiliation:
dwshoesm@uwo.ca, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
Z. Qin
Affiliation:
zqin@uwo.ca, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
Get access

Abstract

A model for acidity within pores within corrosion products on anodically-dissolving UO2 was developed using Comsol Multiphysics 3.2 to complement ongoing electrochemical measurements. It was determined that a depression of pH within pores can be maintained if: electrochemically measured dissolution currents used in the calculations are attenuated to reflect very localized pores; corrosion potentials exceed -250 mV (vs. SCE); and pore depths are > 1 μm for 300 mV or >100 μm for -50 mV (vs. SCE). Mixed diffusional-chemical equilibria control is suggested through deviations in the shapes between pH-potential and pH-pore depth plots.

Keywords

corrosionsimulationU
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 985: Symposium NN – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXX , 2006 , 0985-NN01-04
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Nuclear Waste Management Organization, Choosing a way forward: the future management of Canada's used nuclear fuel, (2005). (www.nwmo.ca).Google Scholar
2. King, F. and Kolar, M., The copper container corrosion model used in AECL's second case study. Ontario Power Generation report: 06819-REP-01200-10041-R00, (2000).Google Scholar
3. Shoesmith, D.W., Noel, J.J., Qin, Z., Lee, C.T., Goldik, J.S., Santos, B.G., and Broczkowski, M.E., Corrosion of nuclear fuel (UO2) inside a failed nuclear waste container. Ontario Power Generation report: 06819-REP-01200-10145-R00, (2005).Google Scholar
4. Grenthe, I., Fuger, J., Konings, R.J.M., Lemire, R.J., Muller, A.B., Nguyen-Trong, C., and Wanner, H., in Chemical Thermodynamics Vol.1, edited by Wanner, H. and Forest, I., (North Holland, Amsterdam, 1992).Google Scholar
5. Santos, B.G., Noel, J.J., and Shoesmith, D.W., Electrochim. Acta, 51, 4157 (2006).Google Scholar
6. Wren, J.C., Shoesmith, D.W., and Sunder, S., J. Electrochem. Soc., 152, B470 (2005).Google Scholar
7. Broczkowski, M.E., Noel, J.J., and Shoesmith, D.W., J. Nucl. Mater., 346, 16 (2005).Google Scholar
8. Shoesmith, D.W., Sunder, S., and Hocking, W.H., in Electrochemistry of novel materials Vol 297, edited by Lipkowski, J. and Ross, P.N., (VCH, New York, 1994), chapter 6.Google Scholar
9. Atkinson, P.W., Physical Chemistry, 2nd Edition, (Freeman and Company, W.H., New York, 1982, p. 1072).Google Scholar
10. Sunder, S., Strandlund, L.K., and Shoesmith, D.W., Electrochim. Acta, 43, 2359 (1998).Google Scholar
11. Shoesmith, D.W., J. Nucl. Mater., 282, 1, (2000).Google Scholar
12. Santos, B.G., Nesbitt, H.W., Noel, J.J., and Shoesmith, D.W., Electrochim. Acta, 49, 1863 (2004).Google Scholar
13. Ofori, D. and Keech, P., unpublished data.Google Scholar
14. Shoesmith, D.W., Kolar, M., and King, F., Corrosion, 59, 802 (2003).Google Scholar