Thermal diffusion of chlorine in uranium dioxide studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry and X-ray absorption spectroscopy

In a nuclear reactor, 35Cl present as an impurity in the nuclear fuel is activated by thermal neutron capture. During interim storage or geological disposal of the nuclear fuel, 36Cl may be released from the fuel to the geo/biosphere and contribute significantly to the 'instant release fraction'. In order to elucidate the diffusion mechanisms, both irradiation and thermal effects must be assessed. This paper deals with the thermal diffusion of chlorine in depleted UO2. For this purpose, sintered UO2 pellets were implanted with 37Cl at an ion fluence of 1013 cm−2 and successively annealed in the 1175-1475 K temperature range. The implanted chlorine is used to simulate the behaviour of the displaced one due to recoil and to interactions with the fission fragments during reactor operation. The behaviour of the pristine and the implanted chlorine was investigated during thermal annealing. SIMS and μ-XAS (at the Cl-K edge) analyses show that: