Direct investigations of the immobilization of radionuclides in the alteration phases of spent nuclear fuel. 1998 annual progress report

Abstract

'In an oxidizing environment, such as in the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, rapid alteration rates are expected for spent nuclear fuel. Lab.-scale simulations have repeatedly shown that the dominant alteration products under repository conditions will be uranyl phases. There is an inadequate database that relates to the effects of the alteration products on the release of radionuclides, but this information is essential to provide a radionuclide release estimate. It is likely that many of the radionuclides contained in the fuel will be incorporated into the alteration products that form, potentially with a profound impact on the future mobility of radionuclides in the repository. The authors objective is to characterize the incorporation of radionuclides into alteration products by synthesis of uranyl phases doped with radionuclides, appropriate surrogate elements, or non-radioactive isotopes, followed by detailed phase characterization by diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. The research will permit a more realistic estimate of the release rates of the radionuclides from the near-field environment. This report summarizes work after 8 months of a 3-year project. The objective of investigating radionuclide incorporation in uranyl phases has required the development of synthesis techniques for various uranyl phases that are expected to form under repository conditions. The authors have synthesized and determined the structures of several uranyl phases that are new to science and that may be important alteration products under repository conditions. They have also undertaken the determination and refinement of the crystal structures of various uranyl phases that are likely to form under repository conditions. Other experiments include the investigation of the ion-exchange properties of uranyl phases under repository conditions.'