• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.2880-2886
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• 2020

A small leak occurring on the surface of a fuel rod due to damage exposes UO₂ to a steam atmosphere. During this time, fission gas trapped inside the fuel rod leaks out, and the gas leakage can be increased due to UO₂ oxidation. Numerous studies have focused on the steam oxidation and its thermodynamic calculation in UO₂. However, the thermodynamic calculation of the UO₂ oxidation in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) environment has not been studied extensively. Moreover, the kinetics of the oxidation of UO₂ pellet also has not been investigated. Therefore, in this study, the thermodynamics of UO₂ oxidation under steam injection due to a damaged fuel rod in a PWR environment is studied. In addition, the diminishing radius of the UO₂ pellet with time in the PWR environment was calculated through an experiment simulating the initial time of steam injection at the puncture.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.410-414
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• 2003

Characteristics of $UO_{2+x}$ powders oxidized at different temperatures were examined. Pellets were fabricated by adding these oxidation powders and their properties were also investigated. Particle size of the $UO_{2+x}$ powders decreased with increasing oxidation temperature while surface area increased. Only the powders oxidized at 35$0^{\circ}C$ enhanced the strength of green pellet. However, 35$0^{\circ}C$ oxidized powders added pellet had many surface defects. The difference of shrinkage rate between the oxidized and UO$_2$ powders was thought to be the cause of them.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.1073-1078
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• 2009

A kinetic model for the oxidation of a $UO_2$ pellet to $U_3O_8$ powder has been suggested by considering the mass transfer and the diffusion of oxygen molecules. The kinetic parameters were estimated by a fitting of the experimental data. The activation energies for the chemical reaction and the product layer diffusion were calculated from the kinetic model. The oxidation conversion of a $UO_2$ pellet was simulated at various operating conditions. The suggested model explains the oxidation behavior of $UO_2$ well.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.443-444
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• 2007

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 1988

A rate equation for UO$_2$ pellet leaching has been derived and compared with some experimental results. The leach rate model comprises the processes of oxygen penetration into UO$_2$ pellets and the dissolution and transport of oxidized UO$_2$ depending on the penetration depth of oxygen. The model may be analyzed with two regions of transient and steady state behaviors, which should depend on the initial oxidation state of pellets. Also this model can be utilized in the analyses of general leach processes if the oxidation reaction of UO$_2$ is replaced with similar mechanism of those processes.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.15 no.1 s.45
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• pp.8-13
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• 2006

The oxidation behavior of $UO_2$, pellet was studied using an XRD and a thermogravimetric analyzer in the temperature range from 573 to 873 K and in the density range from 94.64 to 99.10% of theoretical density in air. It was found from the XRD study that $UO_2$ was completely converted to $U_3O_8$ in this experimental temperature range. The formation of $U_3O_8$ displays sigmoidal reaction kinetics. The oxidation rate was reduced with density. Induction time for the oxidation of $UO_2$ was delayed with density because of open pore formed in surface of $UO_2$ pellet. The activation energy for oxidation of $UO_2$ was determined to be 89.54 kJ/mol and 34.40 kJ/mol in the temperature range from 573 to 723 K and from 723 to 873 K, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 1997

Air-oxidation experiments on unirradiated and irradiated UO$_2$ were performed at temperature from 150 to 375$^{\circ}C$ for investigating the long-term storage behavior of spent PWR fuel. The rate of oxidation was monitored by a thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA) and an X-ray diffraction(XRD). The correlation between the onset-time for U$_3$O$_{8}$ formation and temperature was given as follows, logt(hr) = -12.89+7650/T(K), 423$_2$ pellet, the oxidation rate of irradiated UO$_2$ increase more rapidly at the initial stage and shows a lower saturation point at the later Stage. The Oxidation rate of high bumup UO$_2$ and gadolinia-doped UO$_2$(Gd$_2$O$_3$-UO$_2$) were observed to be much slower than that of unirradiated UO$_2$ pellets.s.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.90-99
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• 1994

One of the major phenomena occurring in defective fuel rods is the oxidation of UO$_2$ fuel pellets from UO$_2$ to UO$_{2+}$x/ by the oxygen Produced from the dissociation of the steam in the Pellet-to-clad gap, which leads to the enhancement of fission gas release. In this paper, the oxidation kinetics of defective fuel rods was analyzed on the basis of operating conditions of the reactor and defective fuel rod itself. Oxidation kinetics of the fuel pellet was determined under the assumption that the gap is filled with the saturated steam of 150 atm and an enhancement factor for fission gas release was introduced to take into account the effect of fuel oxidation on fission gas release. Comparison with experimental data shows that the enhancement factor predicts well the increased fission gas release due to the oxidation of UO$_2$fuel pellets.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.273.2-273
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.265-265
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• 1998