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The studies on alpha-doped UO2 have been performed on samples with damage corresponding to
spent UO2 fuel after 10000 years of storage. Regarding the stability of the spent fuel the preliminary
conclusion is that, while it is not expected that overall the fuel will lose its mechanical integrity, the
alpha-damage and the precipitation of helium in regions with low porosity or few pre-existing
trapping sites (bubbles) produced during irradiation might lead to a potential micro-cracking and
local loss of cohesion. This is particularly the case for the high temperature region of irradiated
fuels.
The experiments on spent fuel evolution in steam have produced evidence that the presence of
hydrogen leads to a reduced matrix alteration also under moist atmosphere conditions.
5. Acknowledgements
This project has been co-funded by the European Commission and performed as part of the sixth
Euratom Framework Programme for nuclear research and training activities (2002-2006) under contract
FI6W-CT-2003-02389.
The authors wish to thank Matthew Barker, National Nuclear Laboratory, UK, and Chris Chatwin,
Sellafield Ltd, for supporting the use of the irradiated fuel samples and provision of PIE data.
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