Journal of Nuclear Materials ( IF 3.1 ) Pub Date : 2020-12-03 , DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152713 Nathan B.A. Thompson , Matthew R. Gilbert , Neil C. Hyatt
At the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, spent nuclear fuel (SNF) may be processed in solution to form a precipitate of uranyl peroxide tetrahydrate, also known as studtite ([(UO2)(O2)(H2O)2]•2H2O). The physical and chemical properties of studtite are influenced by the solution processing conditions employed, thus, the processing history of the precipitate may be elucidated from these characteristics. This is useful in the field of nuclear forensics, where the provenance of intercepted illicit nuclear material is of interest. Studtite is often calcined to ≥500 °C to form alpha uranium trioxide (α-UO3), an oxide prevalent in waste storage. In this study, the crystal structure of UO3 is analysed, with a discussion on the α/α’-UO3 C2mm symmetry. The morphological and structural signatures of both studtite and UO3 are investigated, with respect to a matrix of solution processing conditions and the thermal treatment of studtite.
中文翻译:
studtite和α-UO的核法医签名3从溶液处理参数的矩阵
在核燃料循环的后端,可以在溶液中处理乏核燃料(SNF)以形成四水合铀酰过氧化物的沉淀物,也称为辉石([(UO 2)(O 2)(H 2 O)2 ]•2H 2 O)。辉石的物理和化学性质受所用溶液加工条件的影响,因此,可以从这些特征中阐明沉淀物的加工历史。这在核法证学领域很有用,在该领域中,令人关注的是被拦截的非法核材料的来源。Studtite通常煅烧至≥500℃,形成的α-三氧化铀(α-UO 3),在废弃物存储氧化物普遍。在这项研究中,UO的晶体结构3进行分析,与在α/α'-UO的讨论3 C2mm对称性。就固溶处理条件和辉石的热处理矩阵,研究了辉石和UO 3的形态和结构特征。