Abstract:
The effect of ultrasound on the efficiency of cleaning contaminants from uranium surface with supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO
2) is studied, and the enhancement of resistibility of uranium against atmospheric corrosion by ultrasonic treatment of uranium in SCCO
2 is explored. The experimental results show that the ability and efficiency of SCCO
2 in cleaning lubricating oil, water, and triethanolamine are significantly increased. It is indicated by AES and XRD analysis for uranium specimen that nickel has been distributed into a certain depth on their surfaces after they are treated with ultrasound in SCCO
2 containing 0.5% nickel tetracarbonyl. TGA reveals that the uranium specimen treated with SCCO
2 (containing 0.5% Ni(CO)
4) in ultrasonic field has a better humid air corrosion resistance than those treated only with SCCO
2.