Instability of U3Si2 in pressurized water media at elevated temperatures

Artaches Migdisov; Haylea Nisbet; Nan Li; Joshua White; Hongwu Xu; Andrew Nelson; Robert Roback

doi:10.1038/s42004-021-00504-3

Instability of U₃Si₂ in pressurized water media at elevated temperatures

Artaches Migdisov, Haylea Nisbet, Nan Li, Joshua White, Hongwu Xu, Andrew Nelson, Robert Roback

Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, significant efforts from industry and the scientific community have been directed towards the development of alternative nuclear reactor fuels with enhanced accident tolerance. Among the proposed materials for such fuels is a uranium silicide compound (U₃Si₂), which has been selected for its enhanced thermal conductivity and high density of uranium compared to the reference commercial light water reactor (LWR) nuclear fuel, uranium oxide (UO₂). To be a viable candidate LWR fuel, however, U₃Si₂ must also demonstrate that, in the event of this fuel coming in contact with aqueous media, it will not degrade rapidly. In this contribution, we report the results of experiments investigating the stability of U₃Si₂ in pressurized water at elevated temperatures and identify the mechanisms that control the interaction of U₃Si₂ under these conditions. Our data indicate that the stability of this material is primarily controlled by the formation of a layer of USiO₄ (the mineral, coffinite) at the surface of U₃Si₂. The results also show that these layers are destabilized at T > 300 °C, leading to the complete decomposition of U₃Si₂ and its pulverization due to its full oxidation to UO₂.

Original language	English
Article number	65
Journal	Communications Chemistry
Volume	4
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-021-00504-3
State	Published - Dec 2021

Funding

Research presented in this article was supported by the laboratory directed research and development program of Los Alamos National Laboratory under project number 20180007DR. TEM studies were performed at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an office of science user facility operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001.

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science	89233218CNA000001
Los Alamos National Laboratory	20180007DR

Access to Document

10.1038/s42004-021-00504-3

Cite this

@article{f7145c47c8bc4c4db1f87f297a55fc77,

title = "Instability of U3Si2 in pressurized water media at elevated temperatures",

abstract = "Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, significant efforts from industry and the scientific community have been directed towards the development of alternative nuclear reactor fuels with enhanced accident tolerance. Among the proposed materials for such fuels is a uranium silicide compound (U3Si2), which has been selected for its enhanced thermal conductivity and high density of uranium compared to the reference commercial light water reactor (LWR) nuclear fuel, uranium oxide (UO2). To be a viable candidate LWR fuel, however, U3Si2 must also demonstrate that, in the event of this fuel coming in contact with aqueous media, it will not degrade rapidly. In this contribution, we report the results of experiments investigating the stability of U3Si2 in pressurized water at elevated temperatures and identify the mechanisms that control the interaction of U3Si2 under these conditions. Our data indicate that the stability of this material is primarily controlled by the formation of a layer of USiO4 (the mineral, coffinite) at the surface of U3Si2. The results also show that these layers are destabilized at T > 300 °C, leading to the complete decomposition of U3Si2 and its pulverization due to its full oxidation to UO2.",

author = "Artaches Migdisov and Haylea Nisbet and Nan Li and Joshua White and Hongwu Xu and Andrew Nelson and Robert Roback",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1038/s42004-021-00504-3",

language = "English",

volume = "4",

journal = "Communications Chemistry",

issn = "2399-3669",

publisher = "Nature Research",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Instability of U3Si2 in pressurized water media at elevated temperatures

AU - Migdisov, Artaches

AU - Nisbet, Haylea

AU - Li, Nan

AU - White, Joshua

AU - Xu, Hongwu

AU - Nelson, Andrew

AU - Roback, Robert

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, significant efforts from industry and the scientific community have been directed towards the development of alternative nuclear reactor fuels with enhanced accident tolerance. Among the proposed materials for such fuels is a uranium silicide compound (U3Si2), which has been selected for its enhanced thermal conductivity and high density of uranium compared to the reference commercial light water reactor (LWR) nuclear fuel, uranium oxide (UO2). To be a viable candidate LWR fuel, however, U3Si2 must also demonstrate that, in the event of this fuel coming in contact with aqueous media, it will not degrade rapidly. In this contribution, we report the results of experiments investigating the stability of U3Si2 in pressurized water at elevated temperatures and identify the mechanisms that control the interaction of U3Si2 under these conditions. Our data indicate that the stability of this material is primarily controlled by the formation of a layer of USiO4 (the mineral, coffinite) at the surface of U3Si2. The results also show that these layers are destabilized at T > 300 °C, leading to the complete decomposition of U3Si2 and its pulverization due to its full oxidation to UO2.

AB - Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, significant efforts from industry and the scientific community have been directed towards the development of alternative nuclear reactor fuels with enhanced accident tolerance. Among the proposed materials for such fuels is a uranium silicide compound (U3Si2), which has been selected for its enhanced thermal conductivity and high density of uranium compared to the reference commercial light water reactor (LWR) nuclear fuel, uranium oxide (UO2). To be a viable candidate LWR fuel, however, U3Si2 must also demonstrate that, in the event of this fuel coming in contact with aqueous media, it will not degrade rapidly. In this contribution, we report the results of experiments investigating the stability of U3Si2 in pressurized water at elevated temperatures and identify the mechanisms that control the interaction of U3Si2 under these conditions. Our data indicate that the stability of this material is primarily controlled by the formation of a layer of USiO4 (the mineral, coffinite) at the surface of U3Si2. The results also show that these layers are destabilized at T > 300 °C, leading to the complete decomposition of U3Si2 and its pulverization due to its full oxidation to UO2.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105812682&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s42004-021-00504-3

DO - 10.1038/s42004-021-00504-3

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85105812682

SN - 2399-3669

VL - 4

JO - Communications Chemistry

JF - Communications Chemistry

IS - 1

M1 - 65

ER -

Instability of U₃Si₂ in pressurized water media at elevated temperatures

Abstract

Funding

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this