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Euradwaste '08 - EU Bookshop - Europa

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Figure 3: Left: Spent fuel surface exposed 150 days to humid argon. Middle: Fuel surface resulting<br />

from a fresh cut made in the same rodlet. Right: Fuel surface after exposure to humid H2.<br />

In addition to surfaces, also gaseous and aqueous phases were analysed by mass spectrometry. A<br />

gas pressure increase was observed in all cases. It was 0.3 – 0.5 bar during the test under argon<br />

Under hydrogen, the total pressure increase was lower (0-0.2 bar (H2/Ar); 0.1-0.2 bar (H2)). The<br />

main gas component was in all experiments fission gas Xe. Under argon, radiolytically produced H2<br />

was also detected. A possible explanation for the high fission gas release could be the opening of<br />

pathways for release from pressurized gas bubbles in the fuel. The oxygen content in all gas<br />

samples was below the detection limit (

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