Uranium Hydride Nucleation Kinetics: Effects of Oxide Thickness and Vacuum Outgassing

Abstract

Many factors such as impurities in the oxide and metal, microstructure, gas impurities, and oxide thickness may influence the rate and location of the nucleation of hydride on uranium. This work has concentrated on isolating one of these variables, the oxide thickness, and measuring the effect of the oxide thickness on uranium hydride nucleation. Uranium samples, all from the same lot, were prepared with different oxide thicknesses. The oxide thickness was measured using Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy. Oxidized uranium samples were then exposed to ultra-high purity hydrogen gas under constant volume conditions. Decreases in pressure indicated hydrogen uptake by the sample. The time for hydride nucleation--as well as the maximum hydriding rate--was then calculated from the measured decreases in pressure. The time to nucleate a hydride was found to increase whereas the maximum hydriding rate was found to decrease with increasing oxide thickness. The density of hydride pits also decreased with increasing oxide thickness. The observed results support the argument that the nucleation of hydride is controlled somewhat by diffusion of hydrogen through the oxide layer. Vacuum outgassing of samples, thereby removing the oxide impurities and keeping the oxide thickness constant, dramatically decreased the nucleation time and increased the maximum hydriding rate. Again, this is consistent with hydrogen diffusion through the oxide controlling the nucleation of hydride. Impurities in the oxide layer can decrease the diffusivity of hydrogen and therefore delay the nucleation of uranium hydride.