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Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO 2), also known as urania or uranous oxide, is an oxide of uranium, and is a black, radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite. It is used in nuclear fuel rods in nuclear reactors. A mixture of uranium and plutonium dioxides is used as MOX fuel.
Natural uranium (99.3% U-238, 0.7% U-235) in fast breeder reactor: ... Energy density by volume (MJ/L) Peak recovery efficiency % Practical recovery efficiency %
According to the International Nuclear Safety Center [22] the thermal conductivity of uranium dioxide can be predicted under different conditions by a series of equations. The bulk density of the fuel can be related to the thermal conductivity. Where ρ is the bulk density of the fuel and ρ td is the theoretical density of the uranium dioxide.
Uranium dioxide is the form in which uranium is most commonly used as a nuclear reactor fuel. [3] At ambient temperatures, UO 2 will gradually convert to U 3 O 8. Because of their stability, uranium oxides are generally considered the preferred chemical form for storage or disposal. [3]
The authors report that a layer of U 3 O 7 was present on the uranium dioxide surface during this induction time. They report that 3 to 8% of the krypton-85 was released, and that much less of the ruthenium (0.5%) and caesium (2.6 x 10 −3 %) occurred during the oxidation of the uranium dioxide. [5]
The metal uranium forms several oxides: Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO 2, the mineral uraninite or pitchblende) Diuranium pentoxide or uranium(V) oxide (U 2 O 5) Uranium trioxide or uranium(VI) oxide (UO 3) Triuranium octoxide (U 3 O 8), the most stable uranium oxide; yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent triuranium octoxide)
The compounds identified in yellowcakes include uranyl hydroxide, uranyl sulfate, sodium para-uranate, and uranyl peroxide, along with various uranium oxides. Modern yellowcake typically contains 70% to 90% triuranium octoxide (U 3 O 8) by weight. Other oxides such as uranium dioxide (UO 2) and uranium trioxide (UO 3) exist. [4]
The uranium to zirconium ratio in different parts of the solid differs a lot, in the brown lava a uranium-rich phase with a U:Zr ratio of 19:3 to about 19:5 is found. The uranium-poor phase in the brown lava has a U:Zr ratio of about 1:10. [37] It is possible from the examination of the Zr/U phases to determine the thermal history of the mixture.