Methods of preserving a nuclear fuel element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11295869-B2
Application number	US-201916564552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2019
Priority date	Sep 12, 2018
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A method of preserving a nuclear fuel includes exposing a surface of a fuel element comprising aluminum to a phosphorus-containing acid and reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum to form aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ). A nuclear fuel element includes a nuclear fuel and a shell surrounding the nuclear fuel. The shell comprises aluminum phosphate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of preserving a nuclear fuel element, the method comprising:
removing corrosion from a surface of a corroded nuclear fuel element; and
after removing the corrosion from the nuclear fuel element, exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid, the nuclear fuel element comprising a nuclear fuel and a cladding material on the nuclear fuel, one of the nuclear fuel and the cladding material comprising aluminum, exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element
comprising reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum to form aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ) on a surface of one or both of the nuclear fuel and the cladding material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to phosphoric acid.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to hypophosphoric acid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to phosphorous acid.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to hypophosphorous acid.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises applying an electrical potential to the surface of the nuclear fuel element while exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to the phosphorus-containing acid.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element comprising aluminum to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing a surface of a cladding material to the phosphorus-containing acid.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum comprises sealing at least one hole through the cladding material.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum comprises forming a barrier impermeable to oxygen.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum comprises forming the aluminum phosphate directly contacting each of the cladding material and the nuclear fuel.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum to form aluminum phosphate comprises forming the aluminum phosphate directly contacting elemental aluminum.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element comprising aluminum to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing a surface of a cladding material comprising least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zirconium, and stainless steel to the phosphorus-containing acid.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element comprising aluminum to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing a surface of a cladding material comprising aluminum to the phosphorus-containing acid.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element comprising aluminum to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing a surface of a cladding material comprising aluminum oxide to the phosphorus-containing acid.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum to form aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ) comprises reacting the phosphorus-containing acid with the aluminum through at least one orifice in a cladding material and forming the aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ) in contact with the fuel element.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing, to the phosphorus-containing acid, a surface of a nuclear fuel comprising U x Al y , wherein x and y are integers.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the surface of the nuclear fuel element to a phosphorus-containing acid comprises exposing a surface of a nuclear fuel element comprising spent nuclear fuel to the phosphorus-containing acid.

Assignees

• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc

Inventors

• Rezvoi Aleksey

Classifications

• C25D11/08

  containing inorganic acids · CPC title

• G21C21/02

  Manufacture of fuel elements or breeder elements contained in non-active casings · CPC title

• C23C22/08

  Orthophosphates · CPC title

• G21F5/008

  Containers for fuel elements · CPC title

• C08K2003/327

  Aluminium phosphate · CPC title