Increase of the uranium release at an UO2/H2O interface under He2+ ion beam irradiation

The release of uranium in aerated deionized water at a uranium oxide/water interface under He2+ irradiation is investigated as a function of the fluence by using an external ion beam. A high-energy He2+ beam delivered by a cyclotron (CERI–CNRS) goes through the thin oxide and emerges in the water with 20 MeV energy. First results are reported here showing that the release of uranium increases by three orders of magnitude in aerated deionized water under high flux (⩾ 3.3×10 10 α cm −2 s −1 ).