Corrosion in uranium dioxide, a major component of fuel rods in nuclear reactors, causes the rods to expand creating problems during routine operations and emergency situations. Scientists using EMSL expertise, Cascade supercomputer and capabilities at RadEMSL found the corrosive oxygen atoms in uranium dioxide do not spread randomly through the fuel rods. Instead, they move to specific layers in the material. The study’s findings published in Physical Review Letters gives researchers better information to understand corrosion, possibly leading to new ways to avoid corrosion-related failures.
Read more from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate.
Participating organizations: PNNL, University of Chicago, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and EMSL.
Reference: Stubbs JE, AM Chaka, ES Ilton, CA Biwer, MH Engelhard, JR Bargar, and PJ Eng. 2015. "UO2 Oxidative Corrosion by Nonclassical Diffusion." Physical Review Letters 14:246103. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.246103