Enthalpy measurements of La2Te3O9 and La2Te4O11

Enthalpy increment measurements on La₂Te₃O₉(s) and La₂Te₄O₁₁(s) were carried out using a Calvet micro-calorimeter. The enthalpy values were analyzed using the non-linear curve fitting method. The dependence of enthalpy increments with temperature was given as: H°(T) − H°(298.15 K) (J mol⁻¹) = 360.70T + 0.00409T² + 133.568 × 10⁵/T − 149 923 (373 ? T (K) ? 936) for La₂Te₃O₉ and H°(T) − H°(298.15 K) (J mol⁻¹) = 331.927T + 0.0549T² + 29.3623 × 10⁵/T − 114 587 (373 ? T (K) ? 936) for La₂Te₄O₁₁.     

The creep of UO2 fuel doped with Nb2O5

The creep of UO₂ containing small additions of Nb₂O₅ has been investigated in the stress range 0.5–90 MN/m² at temperatures between 1422 and 1573 K. The functional dependence of the creep rate of five dopant concentrations up to 0.8 mol% Nb₂O₅ has been examined and it was established that in all the materials the secondary creep rate could be represented by the equation /.εkT = Aσⁿexp(?Q/RT), where /.ε is the steady state creep rate per hour, Q the activation energy and A and n are constants for each material. It was observed that Nb₂O₅ additions can cause a dramatic increase in the steady state creep rate as long as the niobium ion is maintained in the Nb⁵⁺ valence state. Material containing 0.4 mol% Nb₂O₅ creeps three orders of magnitude faster than the pure material.Analysis of the results in terms of grain size compensated viscosity suggest that, like “pure” UO₂, the creep rate of Nb₂O₅ doped fuel is diffusion-controlled and proportional to the reciprocal square of the grain size. A model is developed which suggests that the increase in creep rate results from suppression of the U⁵⁺ ion concentration by the addition of Mb⁵⁺ ions, which modifies the crystal defect structure and hence the uranium ion diffusion coefficient.     

Laser-joined Al2O3 and ZrO2 ceramics for high-temperature applications

A laser process is presented that has been specially developed for joining oxide ceramics such as zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) and aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃). It details, by way of example, the design of the laser process applied for to producing both Al₂O₃-Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂-ZrO₂ joints using siliceous glasses as fillers.The heat source used was a continuous wave diode laser with a wavelength range of 808-1010 nm. Glasses of the SiO₂-Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-MeO system were developed as high-temperature resistant brazing fillers whose expansion coefficients, in particular, were optimally adapted to those of the ceramics to be joined. Specially designed measuring devices help to determine both the temperature-dependent emission coefficients and the synchronously determined proportions of reflection and transmission.The glass-ceramic joints produced are free from gas inclusions and macroscopic defects and exhibit a homogenous structure. The average strength values achieved were 158 MPa for the Al₂O₃ system and 190 MPa for the ZrO₂ system, respectively.     

Radiation effects on PbO-Al2O3-B2O3-SiO2 glasses by FTIR spectroscopy

The infrared absorption spectra of PbO-Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂ glasses have been measured in the spectral range 600-4000 cm⁻¹ before and after absorbed dose of 50 Gy, 4 kGy and 50 kGy to investigate the structural change due to irradiation. The structural change due to composition has also been discussed. The experimental results clearly indicate that after irradiation, a significant change in structure of lead alumino borosilicate glass network is observed. It was shown that BO₄ groups decreases and BO₃ groups increases with the increase of Al₂O_3.     

Irradiation effects in an HfO2/MgO/HfO2 tri-layer structure induced by 10 MeV Au ions

In this report, we present radiation damage effects in a thin film, tri-layer structure, HfO₂/MgO/HfO₂. Irradiations were performed with 10 MeV Au ions in a recently developed medium energy ion irradiation facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is described in this paper. Energy deposition by 10 MeV Au ions corresponds to a mixed regime, wherein electronic and nuclear stopping contribute to radiation damage. In this study, we investigated modifications of both surface and bulk properties in order to assess the structural stability of our oxide tri-layers under the severe irradiation conditions employed here. The most dramatic structural changes were observed to occur on the surfaces of the tri-layer samples. Surface features consisted of large craters and spires. The dimensions of these craters and spires exceed those of the individual ion tracks by almost three orders of magnitude. As for the bulk tri-layer structure, our conclusions are that this structure is stable in terms of: (i) resistance to amorphization; (ii) resistance to compositional mixing and (iii) resistance to pronounced nucleation and growth of extended defects. The main effect observed in the tri-layer structure was the transformation of the first HfO₂ layer from a monoclinic to either a tetragonal or cubic form of HfO₂.     

High-temperature specific heat of UO2 ThO2, and A12O3

The high-temperature specific heat of solid UO₂, ThO₂, and Al₂O₃ can be represented by an equation of the form $\text{C}{}_{\mathrm{p(s)}}\text{= 3}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{RF(?}{}_{\mathrm{D}}\text{/T) + dT}{}^3$, (1) where ?_D is the Debye temperature, F(?_D/T) is the Debye function, $\text{d}$ represents contributions of the anharmonic vibrations within the lattice, and $\text{n}$ denotes the number of atoms per molecule. In the liquid the corresponding equation is $\text{C}{}_{\mathrm{p(1)}}\text{= 3}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{RF(?}{}_{\mathrm{D}}\text{/T) +}\text{h}\text{T}{}^2$, (2) where h is the anharmonic term. It is shown that for Al₂O₃ and UO₂, where experimental data for the liquid phase are also available, $\text{d}\text{h}$ has the same value, Indicating that both materials behave identically. If we compare the thermodynamic relationship $\text{C}{}_{\mathrm{p}}\text{? C}{}_{\mathrm{v}}\text{= Vα}{}^2\text{KT}$, (3) where V is the volume, $\text{α}$ the volume expansion coefficient, and $\text{K}$ the bulk modulus, with equation (1), It follows that d must be equal to $\text{Vα}{}^2\text{K}\text{T}{}^2$; the value of $\text{Vα}{}^2\text{K}\text{T}{}^2$ is calculated in the temperature region where d was obtained; within experimental error they are equal.     

LiErO2 formation on Er2O3 in static and natural convection lithium

Er₂O₃ is candidate material for insulating coating to prevent the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drop in the self-cooled liquid Li blanket system. Although Er₂O₃ is stable material, detailed chemical behavior in liquid Li is not clear. Corrosion behavior of bulk Er₂O₃ in Li is investigated in static and flowing condition in the present study. After these tests, good compatibility of Er₂O₃ was confirmed and slight formation of LiErO₂ was detected by XRD analysis. This chemical behavior did not change in a static and flowing tests, however some of the corrosion product of LiErO₂ was removed easily by the Li flow. Intensity of LiErO₂ peaks in XRD spectrum suggests that the temperature gradient may affect the reaction rate in the natural convection loop. Since corrosion rate of Er₂O₃ is very small, slight change in state will be important information to evaluate lifetime of coating.     

Pu2O3 and the plutonium hydriding process

The role of cubic Pu₂O₃ in the corrosion of PuO₂-coated Pu by H₂ was investigated. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate that nucleation of hydriding is promoted by formation of Pu₂O₃ sites in the oxide layer. The nucleation mechanism based on diffusion of hydrogen through the PuO₂ layer was evaluated and an alternative mechanism based on formation of catalytic Pu₂O₃ sites via the Pu-PuO₂ reaction is proposed. The possibility of active participation of other impurities and inclusions in the dioxide is also discussed.     

Low-temperature diffusion in inert-gas bombarded Al2O3

Previous work on diffusion in inert-gas bombarded Al₂O₃ has revealed the presence of four diffusion processes, of which two take place well below the temperatures for self-diffussion, one agrees with self-diffusion, and one occurs at temperatures well above those for self-diffusion. The present work serves to explore in greater detail the two low-temperature processes. It is shown that the first, which is found in -Al₂O₃, Al(OH)₃, and γ-Al₂O₃beginning at about 100° C, is consistent with a range of ΔH's of 28 to 50 kcal/mole. The mechanism of the process is hinted at by the fact that it overlaps the temperatures both for Al(OH)₃decomposition and for point-defect motion in -Al₂O₃; the correlation with point defects is believed, however, to be the more significant. The second process, which is found only in -Al₂O₃ beginning at 500–650° C, implies an essentially single ΔH lying between 69 and 79 kcal/mole. It was suggested previously by Matzke and Whitton on the basis of electron diffraction that the process could be attributed to the amorphous-crystalline transition of -Al₂O₃. Further aspects of low-temperature diffusion in Al₂O₃ were revealed by comparing autoradiographs of specimens of -A₂O₃which were bombarded to various doses and then either heated to 850° C or immersed in unheated 12N NaOH. Thus regions exposed to a high dose and which would be expected to be amorphous, had an increased sticking factor, a greater tendency to lose gas during heating, and an enhanced chemical reactivity.     

Phase studies in the UO2-Gd2O3 system

The incorporation of gadolinium directly into nuclear fuel is important regarding reactivity compensation, which enables longer fuel cycles. The incorporation of Gd₂O₃ powder directly into the UO₂ powder by dry mechanical blending is the most attractive process, because of its simplicity. Nevertheless, processing by this method leads to difficulties while obtaining sintered pellets with the minimum required density. This is due to the bad sintering behavior of the UO₂-Gd₂O₃ mixed fuel, which shows a blockage in the sintering process that hinder the densification process. Minimal information exists regarding the possible mechanisms for this blockage and this is restricted to the hypothesis based on the formation of a low diffusivity Gd rich (U,Gd)O₂ phase. The objective of this investigation was to study the phase formation in this system, thus contributing to clarifying the causes of the blockage. Experimental evidence indicated the existence of phases in the (U,Gd)O₂ system that revealed structures different from the fluorite-type UO₂ structure. These phases appear to be isostructural to the phases observed in the rare earth-oxygen system.     

Electronic sputtering of Gd3Ga5O12 and Y3Fe5O12 garnets: Yield, stoichiometry and comparison to track formation

The results of present paper have shown that sputtering of yttrium iron garnet (Y₃Fe₅O₁₂) under swift heavy ions in the electronic energy loss regime is non-stoichiometric. Here we are presenting additional experimental results for gadolinium gallium garnet (Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂) as target. The irradiations were performed with different ions (⁵⁰Cr (589 MeV), ⁸⁶Kr (195 MeV) and ¹⁸¹Ta (400 MeV)) impinging perpendicularly to the surface. As earlier, the sputtering yield was determined by collecting the emitted gadolinium and gallium atoms on a thin aluminium foil, placed upstream above the target and analyzing the Al catcher by Rutherford backscattering. Also for Gd₃Ga₅O_12, the emission of Gd and Ga is non-stoichiometric. Sputtering appears above a critical electronic stopping power of S_th = 11.6 ± 1.5 keV/nm, which is larger than the threshold for track formation, in agreement with other amorphisable materials. In addition, the angular distribution of the sputtered species was measured for Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ and Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ using 200 MeV Au ions impinging the surface at 20° relatively to the surface. For the two garnets the ratio of Y/Fe (and Gd/Ga) varies with the angle of emitted species and the stoichiometry seems to be preserved only for an emission perpendicular to the surface.     

Isothermal grain growth kinetics in sintered UO2 pellets

Measurements of grain growth rates have been made on twelve types of UO₂ specimens, mainly at temperatures between 1300 and 1500°C. Initial pellet densities were between 94 and 99% theoretical and, since the grain growth anneals were carried out in flowing hydrogen, the materials were stoichiometric throughout the tests. A small amount of work was also carried out at lower temperatures. The results have been interpreted in terms of a rate equation, due to Burke, which supposes that grain growth continues only until some limiting grain size has been attained. It has been shown that the limiting grain size is itself temperature dependent, increasing with increasing temperature. Measurements of grain growth made on irradiated UO₂ can be correlated with the out-of-reactor measurements if it is assumed that the limiting grain size at any temperature decreases with increasing burn-up. The calculated time to attain the limiting grain size at ratings around 20 W/gU is less than 50 days. It also follows that the limiting grain size, at a given temperature, will decrease with increasing rating, a fact which needs to be borne in mind when estimating fuel temperatures from grain size measurements.     

Carbon deposition from a γ-irradiated CO2/CO/CH4/C2H6 gas mixture on the manganese oxides MnO, Mn3O4 and Mn2O3

The composition of oxides formed on steel surfaces within power reactors may influence heat transfer efficiency. Previous studies have indicated that carbon is deposited on spinal-type oxides containing manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel and chromium. In this investigation, characterised manganese oxides have been subjected to γ-irradiation under conditions similar to those experienced in reactors in an effort to understand the catalytic processes involved in deposit initiation and growth. Mn₃O₄ and Mn₂O₃, under the conditions present in the γ-cell, were reduced to MnO during the time of exposure. Relative carbon deposition rates were observed to follow the trend MnO>Mn₃O₄≈Mn₂O₃.     

含TBP-HNO3超临界CO2流体静态络合萃取U3O8

建立了一种快速降低萃取系统压力的静态络合萃取实验装置。在此装置上研究了含TBP-HNO₃超临界CO₂静态络合U₃O₈的快速气化测量方法,探索了含TBP-HNO₃超临界CO₂静态络合萃取U₃O₈的行为规律。     

NHO3氧化去除Np—Pu反萃液中的H2C2O4

研究了用ＮＨＯ３氧化去除ＴＲＰＯ流程反萃Ｎｐ－Ｐｕ的Ｈ２Ｃ２Ｏ４反萃液中Ｈ２Ｃ２Ｏ４的条件。７．５ｍｏｌ．Ｌ＾－１ＨＮＯ３－０．３ｍｏｌ．Ｌ＾－１Ｈ２Ｃ２Ｏ４混合液于９０℃下蒸发１３０ｈ和１００℃下蒸馏回流６ｈ,Ｈ２Ｃ２Ｏ４可完全分解去除;混合液中添加适量催化剂ＭｎＣＯ３,于１００℃下蒸发或蒸馏回流,Ｈ２Ｃ２Ｏ４分解加速,１－１．５ｈ内Ｈ２Ｃ２Ｏ４完全分解。蒸发或蒸馏回流过程中产生的ＨＮＯ２把Ｎｐ     

Photoluminescence and XEL in Y2O3:Eu phosphor

Eu-activated Y₂O₃ phosphors were prepared by combustion synthesis and also by precipitation techniques. Photoluminescence and X-ray excited luminescence of prepared Y₂O₃:Eu phosphor, under two different techniques were compared and reported in this paper. Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor were prepared by precipitation technique followed by annealing at 900 °C. It gives cubic nature of the particle that may be more favourable for high lumen output. X-ray excited luminescence of Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ phosphors also reported in this paper.     

Al2O3样品制备技术及^26Al的AMS测量

报道了用于加速器质谱计^26Al分析的Al2O3的制备流程及^26Al的测量过程。制备的空白样品^26Al/^27Al比值＜10^－13,显示出同量异位素^26Mg干扰小。制备流程是成功的。     

基于铌酸银的耐高温放射性碘吸附剂的制备及性能

通过机械混合法制备了一种基于铌酸银(AgNbO_3)的耐高温放射性碘吸附剂(AgNbO_3/Al_2O_3)。和常规载银吸附剂(Ag/Al_2O_3)相比,AgNbO_3/Al_2O_3吸附剂的吸附性能更为稳定;特别是在650℃以上时,其对放射性碘的去污因子远高于常规载银吸附剂。表征测试结果表明,该吸附剂结构稳定性良好,可耐受较长时间的高温。热重测试和高温脱附试验等结果表明,碘化银在AgNbO_3/Al_2O_3吸附剂表面稳定性的提高是该吸附剂在高温时吸附性能更佳的主要原因,其将来有望用于核事故中的应急处置。     

Al2O3对独居石玻璃陶瓷固化体的影响

本文研究了Al₂O₃掺量对独居石玻璃陶瓷固化体结构和化学稳定性的影响。用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）和X射线衍射（XRD）方法表征样品结构,用溶解速率法和全谱直读等离子体发射光谱（ICP-OES）分别测定样品在浸出液中浸泡后的失重速率及各元素的浸出浓度,以研究固化体的化学稳定性。研究结果表明：当Al₂O₃掺量为4%（摩尔分数）时,在980 ℃下保温3 h得到的独居石玻璃陶瓷固化体具有较高的化学稳定性,浸泡14 d时其质量浸出率最低,约为8.1 ng/(cm²•min),其中Ce、La元素在浸出液中均未检出;固化体的主晶相为独居石,结构中含有大量稳定的正磷酸基团［PO₄］^3-和少量的焦磷酸基团［P₂O₇］^4-,不存在偏磷酸基团［PO₃］^-。