Gamma Radiolysis Effects on (U,Pu)O{sub}2 Alteration in Water

摘要

For a potential performance assessment of the direct disposal of spent fuel in a nuclear waste repository, the chemical reactions between the fuel and possible intruding water must be understood, and the resulting radionuclide release must be quantified. Although beta/gamma irradiation will become much less significant than alpha radiation over the long term, the currently available leaching data for spent fuel several years after removal from the reactor include the effects of α, β, and γ irradiation. Therefore, a study specifically targeting gamma irradiation, together with experiments on alpha-doped samples, should eventually allow these effects to be deconvoluted. Moreover, in the spent nuclear fuel dissolution model, the beta/gamma irradiation is considered to be important in relation to alpha irradiation if, during the first millennium, a failure of containers happens.