Radiolysis of Salts and Long-Term Storage Issues for Both Pure and Impure PuO2Materials in Plutonium Storage Containers

摘要

The Material Identification and Surveillance (MIS) project sponsored a literaturesearch on the effects of radiation on salts, with focus on alkali chlorides. The goal of the survey was to provide a basis for estimating the magnitude of alpha (a) radiation effects on alkali chlorides that can accompany plutonium oxide (PuO2) into storage. Chloride radiolysis can yield potentially corrosive gases in plutonium storage containers that can adversely affect long-term stability. This literature search was primarily done to provide a tutorial on this topic, especially for personnel with nonradiation chemistry backgrounds. Phase I of the report provides an overview on the following topics: (1) fundamental theory on interaction of radiation with matter in liquid water, brine solutions, and salts; (2) summary of selected literature reports on radiolysis of salts and other matrices; (3) radiation-induced thermal effects in salts; and (4) plutonium dioxides. Phase II of this report deals with the core issues pertaining to radiolysis of chloride salts in the storage environments.