A review of the corrosion and pyrophoricity behavior of uranium and plutonium

This report presents a review of the corrosion and pyrophoricity behavior of uranium and plutonium. For each element, the reactions with oxygen, water vapor, and aqueous solutions are described in terms of reaction rates, products, and mechanisms. Their pyrophoric tendencies in terms of measured ignition temperatures are discussed, and the effects of the important variables specific area, gas composition, and prior storage rare stated. The implications of the observed behavior for current storage issues are considered.

[1]  Bette Hileman,et al.  U.S. And Russia Face Urgent Decisions On Weapons Plutonium: Possibility of terrorist diversion, outright theft drive move for new safeguards, choice of optimum disposal methods , 1994 .

[2]  J. Stakebake,et al.  A mechanism for plutonium pyrophoricity , 1994 .

[3]  S. Marshall,et al.  The oxidation behaviour of carbon fibres , 1994 .

[4]  L. L. Thomas,et al.  Regarding the chemistry of metallic uranium stored in steel drums , 1994 .

[5]  R. Greenwood,et al.  Studies of the kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of uranium by dry and moist air A model for determining the oxidation rate over a wide range of temperatures and water vapour pressures , 1994 .

[6]  J. Stakebake,et al.  Reaction kinetics for the high temperature oxidation of Pu-1wt.%Ga in water vapor , 1990 .

[7]  J. Stakebake,et al.  The kinetics and oxygen pressure dependence of the high temperature oxidation of Pu-1wt.%Ga , 1988 .

[8]  F. Wooten,et al.  Interaction of water vapor with clean and oxygen-covered uranium surfaces , 1987 .

[9]  J. Stakebake.  Atmospheric oxidation of Pu-1wt.%Ga in the temperature range 150–500 °C , 1986 .

[10]  C. Colmenares.  Oxidation mechanisms and catalytic properties of the actinides , 1985 .

[11]  A. Ritchie.  The kinetics of the initial stages of the reaction of uranium with oxygen , 1984 .

[12]  A. Ritchie.  The kinetics and mechanism of the uranium-water vapour reaction — an evaluation of some published work , 1984 .

[13]  A. E. Hodges,et al.  Reaction of plutonium with water kinetic and equilibrium behavior of binary and ternary phases in the Pu + O + H system , 1983 .

[14]  A. G. Ritchie,et al.  A review of the rates of reaction of uranium with oxygen and water vapour at temperatures up to 300° c , 1981 .

[15]  M. Bennett,et al.  The oxidation behaviour of uranium in air at 348–765 K , 1981 .

[16]  D. T. Larson,et al.  XPS-AES characterization of plutonium oxides and oxide carbide. The existence of plutonium monoxide , 1981 .

[17]  C. Colmenares,et al.  Oxidation of uranium studied by gravimetric and positron annihilation techniques , 1981 .

[18]  D. T. Larson.  AES and XPS study of plutonium oxidation , 1980 .

[19]  J. Stakebake.  Summary Abstract: Kinetics for the hydriding of a plutonium‐l w/o gallium alloy powder , 1980 .

[20]  N. R. Werthamer,et al.  Radioactive waste management policy , 1977 .

[21]  M. J. Bennett,et al.  The oxidation behaviour of uranium in air at 50–300°C , 1975 .

[22]  C. Colmenares.  The oxidation of thorium, uranium, and plutonium☆ , 1975 .

[23]  M. Bennett,et al.  The oxidation behaviour of highly irradiated uranium in dry carbon dioxide at 375–500°C and in dry air at 200–300°C , 1974 .

[24]  J. V. Cathcart.  Gaseous oxidation of uranium alloys , 1973 .

[25]  J. Stakebake,et al.  Plutonium Oxidation in Moist Oxygen‐Nitrogen Mixtures , 1972 .

[26]  L. E. Musgrave.  A theory of burning curve ignition of nuclear metals , 1972 .

[27]  J. Stakebake.  The storage behavior of plutonium metal, alloys, and oxide: A review , 1971 .

[28]  L. E. Musgrave.  EFFECT OF WATER VAPOR, REDUCED OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS, AND SOLVENT VAPORS ON PLUTONIUM IGNITION. , 1971 .

[29]  E. Chatfield.  A semi-empirical analysis of the ignition behaviour of plutonium , 1969 .

[30]  R. Meisel,et al.  High temperature X-ray investigation of plutonium oxidation , 1969 .

[31]  R. Felt.  BURNING AND EXTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF PLUTONIUM METAL FIRES. , 1968 .

[32]  S. Pitts.  FACTORS INFLUENCING THE IGNITION OF METALLIC PLUTONIUM. , 1968 .

[33]  H. V. Rhude,et al.  METALLIC PLUTONIUM ALLOYS FOR FAST CRITICAL EXPERIMENTS. , 1967 .

[34]  J. Raynor,et al.  SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE OXIDATION OF UNALLOYED AND delta-STABILIZED PLUTONIUM METAL. , 1967 .

[35]  A. Tanon,et al.  OXIDATION MEASUREMENTS ON $alpha$ PLUTONIUM IN VARIOUS GLOVE BOX ATMOSPHERES. , 1967 .

[36]  J. B. Baynor,et al.  The atmospheric oxidation of unalloyed plutonium at low humidities , 1967 .

[37]  D. F. Fischer,et al.  The Kinetics of Oxidation of Plutonium Metal and a Plutonium‐3.4 a/o Aluminum Alloy at Temperatures from 140° to 550°C , 1967 .

[38]  J. Bingle,et al.  The ignition of uranium , 1966 .

[39]  J. Bingle,et al.  The kinetics of oxidation of uranium between 300 and 625° C , 1966 .

[40]  M. Thompson.  THE OXIDATION AND IGNITION OF PLUTONIUM , 1966 .

[41]  E. R. Gardner,et al.  The plutonium-oxygen phase diagram , 1965 .

[42]  E. D. Verink,et al.  Gas Chromatographic and Gravimetric Studies of Uranium Oxidation Mechanism , 1964 .

[43]  S. Orman.  THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN GASES ON THE RATE OF OXIDATION OF URANIUM BY WATER VAPOUR , 1963 .

[44]  J. Raynor,et al.  Oxidation of Plutonium in Moist Air and Argon , 1963, Nature.

[45]  M. Thompson.  OBSERVATIONS ON THE ATMOSPHERIC OXIDATION OF PLUTONIUM METAL , 1963 .

[46]  M. Tetenbaum,et al.  URANIUM POWDER IGNITION STUDIES , 1962 .

[47]  G. Zima.  PYROPHORICITY OF URANIUM IN REACTOR ENVIRONMENTS , 1960 .

[48]  F. Field,et al.  THE CORROSION OF LOW-ZIRCONIUM: URANIUM ALLOYS IN BOILING WATER , 1953 .

[49]  F. H. Spedding,et al.  Uranium hydride; preparation, composition and physical properties. , 1949, Nucleonics.

[50]  Frank H. Spedding,et al.  Uranium Hydride -I , 1949 .

[51]  W. G.,et al.  Dust Explosions , 1924, Nature.