Abstract
Geopolymer, a nanoporous aluminosilicate filled with water and ions, has been selected as a potential matrix to encapsulate MgZr alloy fuel cladding. In this study, we investigate the evolution of the corrosion products formed during the corrosion of MgZr in poral solutions extracted from geopolymers with and without NaF as corrosion inhibitor. Using various characterization techniques such as Scanning Electron and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopies coupled to Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction, we show that the amounts of dissolved silica and fluoride species in solution are the key parameters driving the nature of corrosion products and probably their passivating properties regarding MgZr corrosion.
Highlights
The dismantling of the Uranium Natural Graphite Gas reactors (UNGG) in France had generated a large amount of magnesium waste coming from the fuel cladding
The characterization of the corrosion products (CP) layers formed during the MgZr alloy corrosion in poral solutions extracted from geopolymers allowed the determination of various processes which depend on the silica
We investigated the evolution of the CP formed during the corrosion of MgZr in poral solutions extracted from geopolymers with and without NaF as corrosion inhibitor
Summary
The dismantling of the Uranium Natural Graphite Gas reactors (UNGG) in France had generated a large amount of magnesium waste coming from the fuel cladding. MgZr 0.5 wt.% alloy [1] were classified as intermediate-level radioactive waste due to the uranium and fission products residues remaining after the spent nuclear fuel removal. Mineral binder such as geopolymer, a nanoporous aluminosilicate filled with water and ions [2], was selected as a potential matrix to encapsulate these wastes. The presence of dissolved silica within the poral solution is an asset since it was demonstrated that formation of magnesium silicates by an anodization process on the surface of magnesium improve its resistance regarding its corrosion [7,8,9]
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