High temperature dissolution of chromium substituted nickel ferrite in nitrilotriacetic acid medium

High temperature (HT) dissolution of chromium substituted nickel ferrite was carried out with relevance to the decontamination of nuclear reactors by way of chemical dissolution of contaminated corrosion product oxides present on stainless steel coolant circuit surfaces. Chromium substituted nickel ferrites of composition, NiFe_(2−x)Cr_xO₄ (x ≤ 1), was synthetically prepared and characterized. HT dissolution of these oxides was carried out in nitrilotriacetic acid medium at 160 °C. Dissolution was remarkably increased at 160 °C when compared to at 85 °C in a reducing decontamination formulation. Complete dissolution could be achieved for the oxides with chromium content 0 and 0.2. Increasing the chromium content brought about a marked reduction in the dissolution rate. About 40 fold decrease in rate of dissolution was observed when chromium was increased from 0 to 1. The rate of dissolution was not very significantly reduced in the presence of N₂H₄. Dissolution of oxide was found to be stoichiometric. - Highlights: • Dissolution of NiFe_(2−x)Cr_xO₄ was remarkably increased at 160 °C in NTA medium. • The dissolution was significantly decreasing with the increase in Cr content in the oxide. • Dissolution rate is dependent on the lability of metal-oxo bonds. • The rate of dissolution was not significantly reduced in the presence of N₂H_4. • NTA at high temperature is effective for decontamination of stainless steel surfaces.