Abstract
AbstractWe have characterized considerable amounts of the two known uranyl peroxide phases that formed under static immersion conditions on commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) samples. Milligrams of corroded fuel aggregates were observed at the air-water interface in each sample. The bulk fuel and the interfacial solids were examined by SEM, EDX, and XRD and were found to contain studtite and metastudtite, respectively. The reason for the partitioning of the two phases is not clear at this time. The unique occurrence of the floating phase prompted a radiochemical analysis of these solids. The analysis indicated that 90Sr, 137Cs, 99Tc, and to a lesser extent of 238,239Pu and 237Np, had partitioned with the air-water interface aggregates. The concentration of 241Am in the interfacial solids was two orders of magnitude lower than the inventory in the fuel prior to contact with water. The radiochemical analyses of two fuel leachate samples are compared to reported leaching data of a similar fuel which did not result in the formation of studtite.
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