Advances in Measurements of the Melting Transition in Non-Stoichiometric UO₂: Proceedings of the Fifteenth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, Part I

Authors: Manara D.¹; Sheindlin M.²; Lewis M.³

Source: International Journal of Thermophysics, Volume 25, Number 2, March 2004 , pp. 533-545(13)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

This work presents a study of the melting behavior of the UO_2+x system. Self-crucible pulsed-laser melting at high pressure is realized, further improving the recently developed experimental approach. Thermograms of the heated surface of the sample, recorded by a fast pyrometer, show thermal arrests and/or points of inflection corresponding to the phase transformations. A further probe laser beam is focused onto and reflected by the sample surface, and the reflected light intensity is used to detect the exact instants at which melting/freezing transitions occur. Furthermore, a model was developed describing the complex process of laser-induced melting in a system where a solubility gap accompanies the formation of liquid, and a corresponding numerical simulation of the melting-freezing process was performed in order to depict the heat and matter transport phenomena involved. Finally, liquidus and solidus lines are proposed for the system UO_2+x in the range 0 les

0.21.

Keywords: hyperstoichiometric uranium dioxide; laser pulse heating; melting; phase diagram

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:IJOT.0000028488.43690.7d

Affiliations: 1: European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany., Email: manara@itu.fzk.de 2: European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany 3: Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom

Publication date: 2004-03-01