Abstract
On the basis of different experimental data from separate-effect tests on the kinetics of UO 2 interaction with molten Zircaloy at 1900°C and exceeding temperatures, a theoretical model is proposed which describes the material behavior during different stages of the chemical interaction process before and after liquid phase saturation. In the first stage dissolution of UO 2 and quick saturation of the Zircaloy melt by U and O atoms take place. In the second stage the UO 2 dissolution continues with a lower reaction rate and a parabolic time law (α t 1 2 ), and is accompanied by precipitation and growth of a ceramic phase in the liquid. It is shown that the main cause of the discrepancy amongst the different experimental results found in the literature is connected with different dimensions of the UO 2 crucibles and different UO 2/Zircaloy mass ratios used in the experiments. The analysis in the present paper leads to recommendations for the application of measured Arrhenius correlations for the kinetics of UO 2 dissolution by molten Zircaloy in fuel rods during severe reactor accidents by renormalization of the UO 2 dissolution rates.
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