Methodology for Measurement of Density of Liquid Oxides

Abstract

Measurement of physical properties of materials in extreme conditions, such as high temperature, is limited by technological challenges. Nevertheless, modeling of several phenomena relies on the existence of experimental data for their validation. In this study, a method suitable for determination of density in a liquid phase at high temperature is proposed and tested on Al2O3–ZrO2 system. A methodology for acquiring the temperature dependence of density for radioactive materials is proposed and is aimed to refine severe nuclear accidents modeling. The oxide was melted in an induction furnace with a cold crucible. The measurement was based on evaluation of the volume of the melt at different temperatures, in a range from 2100 to 2400 °C. The densities of the oxide in the solid-state and the skull-layer were measured using a pycnometer. A temperature dependence of the density was established and the results were compared with literature. The difference between existing data and the measured values in this work was less than 5%. Thus, the proposed methodology provides reliable density values in extreme conditions.