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60 Years of U: Perspectives on resources, demand, and the evolving role of nuclear energy
Recent years have seen growing global interest in nuclear energy and rising confidence in the sector. For the first time since the early 2000s, there is renewed optimism about the industry’s future. This change is driven by several major factors: geopolitical developments that highlight the need for secure energy supplies, a stronger focus on resilient energy systems, national commitments to decarbonization, and rising demand for clean and reliable electricity.
Mark L. Crowder, James E. Laurinat, John A. Stillman
Nuclear Technology | Volume 176 | Number 2 | November 2011 | Pages 309-313
Technical Paper | Radiation Measurements and General Instrumentation | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A13305
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A straightforward method to determine the tritium content of Zircaloy-2 cladding hulls via oxidation of the hulls and capture of the volatilized tritium in liquids has been demonstrated. Hull samples were heated in air inside a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The TGA was rapidly heated to 1000°C to oxidize the hulls and to release absorbed tritium. To capture tritium, the TGA off-gas was bubbled through a series of liquid traps. The concentrations of tritium in bubbler solutions indicated that nearly all of the tritiated water vapor was captured. The average tritium content measured in the hulls was 19% of the amount of tritium produced by the fuel, according to ORIGEN2 isotope generation and depletion calculations. Published experimental data show that there is an initial, nonlinear oxidation rate for Zircaloy-2 followed by a faster, linear rate after "breakaway" of the oxide film and that the linear rate follows an Arrhenius model. This study demonstrates that the linear oxidation rate of Zircaloy samples at 974°C is faster than predicted by the extrapolation of data from lower temperatures.