Experimental Investigation of Uranium and Iron Condensation from High-Temperature Plasma Conditions
Emily N. Weerakkody, Zurong Dai, Kate E. Rodriguez, Mark A. Burton, Timothy P. Rose, Batikan Koroglu, Enrica Balboni
TL;DR
This study uses a plasma reactor to create and analyze uranium and iron nanoparticle fallout, revealing new insights into their condensation and chemical speciation.
Contribution
The paper demonstrates the first synthetic generation of uranium and iron fallout mixtures in a plasma flow reactor, identifying new ternary oxide formations.
Findings
Uranium oxides (UO2 and α-UO3) and a ternary oxide (UFeO4) were observed in the condensation process.
Iron-rich cores surrounded by uranium-rich regions suggest coagulation or nucleation pathways influenced by iron concentration.
Variations in temperature and flow patterns affect the speciation and distribution of metal oxides in the fallout.
Abstract
We used a plasma flow reactor (PFR) to generate synthetic fallout nanoparticles from vapor-phase condensation of two different input concentrations of uranium and iron analytes (U/Fe = 1:1 and 1:2). Synthetic fallout from complex chemical matrices (e.g., mixtures of U and Fe) has not been generated in this setup before and allows for the observation of relative condensation and fractionation of nuclear debris. Experiments were conducted under two different temperature histories with variations in particle flow patterns along the PFR. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation and analysis of the nanoparticles revealed variations in speciation of uranium oxides (UO2 and α-UO3) depending on the competition between flow mixing and oxygen sequestration by iron. A ternary metal oxide, UFeO4, was observed in addition to iron oxides (e.g., FeO and Fe3O4), which suggests that fallout…
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Taxonomy
TopicsNuclear Materials and Properties · Radioactive element chemistry and processing · Nuclear reactor physics and engineering