Thermoanalytical device DTA-6D for actinide compound investigation

Consideration is being given to the DTA-6D device for differential thermal analysis, enabling to deal with lanthanide and actinide compounds in 20-1000 deg. C range with 0.01-3.0 deg.C/s heating rate in atmosphere of various gases. Performance and principle of operation of the device are presented. Oxidation of metallic lanthanum in oxygen at 20-800 deg.C was investigated in order to test the device operationability and the effect of some parameters on the process of oxidation of metallic lanthanides and actinides. It is shown that only the surface layer of compact sample is oxidized in the given temperature range, meanwhile fine-grained powders (0.1-1.2 mm particle size) burn in oxygen flow with formation of A-form of LaO1.5. The decrease of heating rate from 1.0 down to 0.1 deg.C/s results to the displacement of temperatures of metal oxidation initiation and thermal effect peaks to the region of lower temperatures with simultaneous reduction of thermal effect intensities