Survey of the storage behaviour of uranium dioxide.

The storage behaviour of uranium dioxide powder is reviewed. Topics covered include the amount of oxygen taken up under storage conditions, the basic oxidation processes, the effects of extra oxygen on the fabrication and irradiation behaviour of uranium dioxide, the pyrophoric reaction of uranium dioxide powders in air, the stabilization of uranium dioxide against oxidation, and the effectiveness of sealed containers. The pyrophoric process in air at room temperature is shown to be the result of rapid chemisorption of oxygen, and a theory explaining this effect is developed. Equations are also derived to describe the overall oxidation behaviour in air at room temperature, and they are found to agree with what few experimental data are available