How soluble or corrosive is Uranium and Plutonium in hot salt water?
Fledermaus
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:08 AM
Original message
How soluble or corrosive is Uranium and Plutonium in hot salt water?
Edited on Tue Mar-22-11 11:10 AM by Fledermaus
From what I have read, Plutonium is very reactive and will decompose easily.
slackmaster
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:12 AM
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1. Neither exists in a metallic state in the reactors in Japan, if that's what you're thinking about
The fuel consists of oxides of the metals.
Fledermaus
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:13 AM
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2. Even when the fuel has melted?
slackmaster
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:16 AM
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4. Uranium dioxide melts at 2865 °C
Whether it would reduce to metal at that point, I don't know, but I don't believe the messes are expected to get that hot. The zirconium tubes that contain the pellets are expected to melt in a full meltdown.
jpak
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:16 AM
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3. Nobody knows - this unprecedented
The oxides are pretty insoluble - but if they are transformed into or leached by chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, carbonates - who knows?
Fledermaus
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:27 AM
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5. My impression is that the sea water is going through once.
And my impression is that there has been some core melting.
jpak
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:31 AM
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6. Then there is ample opportunity for lots of unprecedented chemistry to happen
and potential for mobile radionuclides to accumulate in that water....
thereismore
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Tue Mar-22-11 11:52 AM
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7. I think the danger is zirconium cladding reacting with steam (i.e. burning) and taking some of
Edited on Tue Mar-22-11 11:52 AM by thereismore
the radioactive content up into the air. Radioactive gases first, and then maybe particles of the solid material.
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