Book Description

The kinetics of uranium carbide vaporization in the temperature range 3000 K to 5200 K was studied using a Nd-glass laser with peak power densities from 1.6 x 105 to 4.0 x 105 watts/cm2. The vapor species U, UC2, C1 and C3 were detected and analyzed by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. From the mass spectrometer signals number densities of the various species in the ionizer were obtained as functions of time. The surface of the irradiated uranium carbide was examined by scanning electron microscope and the depth profile of the crater was obtained. In order to aid analysis of the data, the heat conduction and species diffusion equations for the solid (or liquid) were solved numerically by a computer code to obtain the temperature and composition transients during laser heating. A sensitivity analysis was used to study the effect of uncertainties in the input parameters on the computed surface temperatures.