Characteristics of Reaction between Hydrogen Isotopes and Depleted Uranium

Seungwoo Paek; Do-Hee Ahn; Kwang-Rak Kim; Hongsuk Chung

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.8, No.1, 12-16, January, 2002

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Characteristics of Reaction between Hydrogen Isotopes and Depleted Uranium

Seungwoo Paek^†, Do-Hee Ahn, Kwang-Rak Kim, and Hongsuk Chung

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 305-353, Korea

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The characteristics of the reaction between hydrogen isotopes and uranium were investigated using depleted uranium from nuclear fuel manufacturing waste. Activation of the uranium was conducted by heating the experimental vessel to 450 ℃ under vacuum conditions, while the reaction temperature was room temperature. The absorption reaction between hydrogen and the depleted uranium was very fast with a rapid increase in temperature and reached a saturated state within 10 min. The hydrogen content of the uranium hydride (H/U) was 2.95, after 3 h of reaction. When cycling the absorption and desorption reaction, the experimental results showed similar tendencies of absorption after the third reaction. The reaction of hydrogen and deuterium also showed similar tendencies. The desorption of absorbed hydrogen started at around 300 ℃. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the almost absorbed hydrogen was desorbed by heating above 400 ℃. The experimental results related to the effect of helium showed that the presence of helium in the reacting hydrogen gas prevented the hydriding of the uranium.

Keywords:hydrogen isotopes;depleted uranium;metal hydrides

[References]

Holtslander WJ, Experience in Handling Concentrated Tritium, AECL-8847, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (1985)
Holtslander WJ, Management of Tritium at Nuclear Facilities, IAEA-TR-234, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (1984)
Sood SK, Kveton OK, FusionTechnol., 8, 2478 (1985)
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Penzhorn RD, Devillers M, Sirch M, J. Nucl. Mater., 170, 217 (1990)
Shmayda WT, Heics AG, Kherani NP, J. Less-Common Metals, 162, 117 (1990)
Spedding FH, Nucleonics, 4, 4 (1949)
Condon JB, Larson EA, J. Chem. Phys., 59, 855 (1973)
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Condon JB, J. Chem. Thermodyn., 1069 (1980)
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Tanabe T, Miura S, Imoto S, J. Nucl. Sci. Technol., 16, 690 (1979)
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[Referenced By]

[1] Holtslander WJ, Experience in Handling Concentrated Tritium, AECL-8847, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (1985)

[2] Holtslander WJ, Management of Tritium at Nuclear Facilities, IAEA-TR-234, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (1984)

[3] Sood SK, Kveton OK, FusionTechnol., 8, 2478 (1985)

[4] Noga JO, Investigations of Titanium and Zirconium, OH-81-368-K, Ontario Hydro, OH (1981)

[5] Penzhorn RD, Devillers M, Sirch M, J. Nucl. Mater., 170, 217 (1990)

[6] Shmayda WT, Heics AG, Kherani NP, J. Less-Common Metals, 162, 117 (1990)

[7] Spedding FH, Nucleonics, 4, 4 (1949)

[8] Condon JB, Larson EA, J. Chem. Phys., 59, 855 (1973)

[9] Northrup CJH, J. Phys. Chem., 79, 726 (1975)

[10] Condon JB, J. Chem. Thermodyn., 1069 (1980)

[11] Cordfunke EHP, The Chemistry of Uranium, p. 60, Elsevier Publishing Co., Amsterdam (1969)

[12] Tanabe T, Miura S, Imoto S, J. Nucl. Sci. Technol., 16, 690 (1979)

[13] Carlson RS, The Uranium-Tritium System-The Storage of Tritium, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, CONF-750989, Vol. IV, March (1976)