This lecture provides an overview of nuclera reactors and describes the chemistry of actinides and fission products in reactors, primarily focusing on phases formed in nuclear fuel. The reactor overview is provided in class on 1 December. The online lecture below focuses on radiochemistry in used fuel. The fission process is reviewed and fuel burnup discussed. Determining fission product and actinide concentration to assess burnup is introduced. The variation of fission product and actinide concentration with burnup and initial fuel composition is provided. Axial and radial distribution of activity, fission products, and actinides is discussed, highlighting the role of neutron flux and energies on the distribution. Conditions necessary for the formation of separate phases in UO₂ are shown for perovskite and metallic phases, emphasizing the role of oxygen in the process. The behavior of fission products can be grouped into 4 areas: volatile species, metallic precipitates, oxide precipitates, and solid solutions. The lecture length is 35 minutes. The lecture is assigned 26 November 2018 and due 1 December 2018.

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Readings: Radiochemistry in Nuclear Power Plants, Chapter 3

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last update:  Sunday, 7 October, 2018