The extensive studies of used fuel dissolution inside a failed nuclear waste container have been reviewed. The primary controlling factor is the redox condition set at the fuel surface by water radiolysis, its evolution with time as radiation fields decay, and how it is influenced by the presence of oxidant scavengers, especially H2, produced by corrosion of the steel liner in the container.
If the container fails early, and oxidizing conditions are established, dissolution will be a corrosion reaction driven by radiolytically-produced H2O2. As radiation fields decay and conditions become less oxidizing, the corrosion rate will decrease, and its evolution with time, will be influenced by the formation of insoluble UVI corrosion product deposits, stabilized by calcium and silicate in the groundwater. These deposits could partially block fuel corrosion, but also lead to locally acidified sites at which the corrosion rate is increased. These sites would be pores in the deposit and/or flaws in the fuel surface. If the groundwater contains sufficient bicarbonate, deposition would be inhibited and the fuel corrosion possibly accelerated by the formation of bicarbonate-uranyl ion complexes.