Kinetic Study of the Reaction between Uranium Monocarbide and Water Vapor

Abstract

The rate of the reaction between uranium monocarbide and water vapor was investigated in a flow system under the conditions of 53–90°C and 20–120 mmHg. The rate of evolution and the composition of gases were measured by means of a gas chromatograph. The reaction versus time curve was sigmoid-shaped and found to be divided into three parts. Avrami’s equation for nucleation and growth fit the first part. The second part was expressed by a quasi first order reaction. Rate constants for the first and the second parts were found to depend on the water vapor pressure, obeying Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm. The activation energy for reaction and the heat of adsorption for the first part were determined to be 13.0 and 3.9 kcal/mol respectively.