EDN: LEGFVU
Authors & Affiliations
Tarasikov V.P.
A.I. Leypunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia
Tarasikov V.P. – Leading Researcher, Cand. Sci. (Tech.). Contacts: 1, pl. Bondarenko, Obninsk, Kaluga region, 249033. Tel.: +7 (484) 399-82-04; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Abstract
The experimental results of the study of boron carbide samples irradiated in the BN-600 reactor to determine the accumulation and release of gaseous products of nuclear fission depending on burnout, temperature and atmospheric composition above the samples are presented. When irradiated, boron carbide, in addition to helium, accumulates a gaseous product of nuclear reactions – the radioactive isotope of hydrogen – tritium. Its accumulation occurs by reactions: 10В(n,α)7Li(n,nα)T; 10В(n,α)7Li(n,2n)6Li(n,α)T; 10В(n,2α)T; 11В(n,T)9Be. The issues of assessing the accumulation and release of radioactive tritium in boron-containing regulatory authorities are of great importance for ensuring environmental safety when developing a technology for their disposal or recycling. For the study, hot-pressed boron carbide tablets were used, which were spent in the BN-600 reactor for 502 effective days, with boron burnout (1,8; 5,1; 6,2; 7,2; 8,4)1021 capt/cm3.
The accumulation of helium and tritium in irradiated boron carbide was determined by burning prepared samples with subsequent analysis of the obtained products on an omegatron mass spectrometer. The content of helium and tritium in the samples of the vapor-gas medium was measured using a radiochromatograph.
The values of the accumulation of helium and tritium in boron carbide irradiated in the BN-600 reactor, depending on the burnout of boron, can be estimated by dependencies (B – boron burnout, 1021 capt/cm3):
– accumulation of 3T with an error of 8 %: VT=(-0.0062+0.0078B/1021) ncm3/g В4С;
– accumulation of 4Hе with an error of 3 %: VНе=(-7.03+16.03B/1021) ncm3/g В4С.
The values of the helium yield from boron carbide in the argon stream and water vapor + argon at a temperature of 1200 °C, depending on the burnout of boron with an error of 3 %, can be estimated by the dependencies:
– in the argon stream: Voutlet Не=( -0.073+0.059B/1021) ncm3/g В4С;
– in the flow of argon + water vapor: Voutlet Не=(0.57+0.083B/1021) ncm3/g В4С.
The values of the tritium yield from boron carbide in the argon stream and argon + water vapor at a temperature of 1200 °C, depending on the burnout of boron with an error of 8 %, can be estimated by the dependencies:
– in the argon stream: AoutletT=(-11.42+9.01B/1021)×107 Bg/g В4С;
– in the flow of argon + water vapor: AoutletT=(73.42+14.13B/1021)×107 Bg/g В4С.
Keywords
boron carbide, helium, tritium, argon, water vapor, burnout, temperature, mass spectrometer, chromatograph, proportional flow meter, thermal conductivity detector (catarometer)
Article Text (PDF, in Russian)
References
- Risovany V.D., Zakharov A.V., Klochkov E.P., Guseva T.M. Bor v yadernoy tekhnike [Boron in nuclear engineering]. Dimitrovgrad, RIAR Publ., 2003. 345 p.
- Bobkov V.P., Blokhin A.I., Rumyantsev V.N., Solovyov V.A., Tarasikov V.P. Spravochnik po svoy-stvam materialov dlya perspektivnykh reaktornykh tekhnologiy. Tom 3. Svoystva poglotiteley neytronov. Kniga 1. Bor i yego soyedineniya. Pod obshchey redaktsiyey d.t.n., professora V.M. Poplavskogo [Handbook on the properties of materials for advanced reactor technologies. Volume 3. Properties of neutron absorbers. Book 1. Boron and its compounds. Ed. Dr. tech. sci., prof. V.M. Poplavsky]. Moscow, IzdAT Publ., 2013. 632 p.
- Klimov V.D., Matveev V.I., Arabey B.G., Voznesensky R.M., Tarasikov V.P., Gorbatov N.E., Bespalov A.G., Luzin V.P., Matveychuk L.S., Pshakin G.M. Ispytaniya obraztsov pogloshchayushchikh elementov bystrykh energeticheskikh reaktorov v reaktore BR-5. Sostoyaniye i perspektivy rabot po sozdaniyu AES s reaktorami na bystrykh neytronakh [Tests of samples of absorbing elements of fast power reactors in the BR-5 reactor. The state and prospects of work on the creation of nuclear power plants with fast neutron reactors]. Sbornik dokladov 2-go simpoziuma stran – chlenov SEV [Proc. of the 2nd Symposium of the CMEA member countries]. Obninsk, October 1–5, 1973. Obninsk, IPPE Publ., 1975. Vol. 2, pp. 713–737.
- Murgatroyd R.A., Kelly В.Т. Technology and assessment of neutron absorbing materials. Atomic Energy Review, 1977, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 3–74.
- Suzuki H., Maruyama I., Wakasa T. Postirradiated annealing of boron carbide pellet irradiated in fast breeder reactor. The Journal of Nuclear Sci. Techn., 1979, vol. 16, pp. 588–589.
- Boothe Т.Е., Ache H.J. Physical and chemical interaction of energetic tritium with boron carbide. The Journal of Nuclear Materials, 1979, vol. 84, pp. 85–92.
- Kovyrshin V.G. Liberation of helium in the heating of irradiated boron carbide. At Energy, 1982, vol. 53, pp. 570–571. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01122102.
- Maruyama Т., Iseki T. Irradiation response and tritium behavior of boron carbide. The Journal of Nuclear Materials, 1985, vol. 133–134, pp. 727–731.
- Bleier A., Neeb K.H., Gelfort E., Mischke J. Evaluation of the tritium content in light water reactor control and absorber rods to obtain data for the fuel cycle backend. Nuclear Technology, 1986, vol. 74, pp. 152–163.
- Tsetskhladze T.V., Barnov V.A., Nadirashvili L.Sh., Tarkashvili Ts.T. Vydeleniye tritiyevoy aktivnosti iz obluchennogo neytronami karbida bora [Isolation of tritium activity from neutron irradiated boron carbide]. Voprosy atomnoy nauki i tekhniki. Seriya: Fizika radiatsionnykh povrezhdeniy i radiatsionnoye materialovedeniye – Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Physics of Radiation Damage and Radiation Materials Science, 1989, iss. 3(50), pp. 62–65.
- Schnarr К., Munzel H. Release of tritium from boron carbide irradiated with reactor neutrons. The Journal of Nuclear Materials, 1990, vol. 170, pp. 253–260.
- Tarasikov V.P., Rudenko V.A., Voznesensky R.M. Opyt poslereaktornykh issledovaniy sterzhney SUZ bystrykh reaktorov [The experience of post-reactor studies of the rods of fast reactors]. Sbornik dokladov Sed'moy Rossiyskoy konferentsii po reaktornomu materialovedeniyu [Proc. of the 7th Russian Conference on Reactor Materials Science]. Dimitrovgrad, September 08–12, 2003. Dimitrovgrad, 2004. Vol. 3, pp. 203–221.
- Barnov V.A., Bobokhidze K.S., Nadirashvili L.S. et al. Interaction of tritium with boron carbide. At Energy, 1988, vol. 64, pp. 506–508. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01124592.
- Alekseev V.V., Sorokin A.P., Kuzina Yu.A. Issledovaniya massoperenosa tritiya v konturakh s natriyevym teplonositelem [Studies of tritium mass transfer in circuits with a sodium coolant]. Voprosy atomnoy nauki i tekhniki. Seriya: Yaderno-reaktornyye konstanty – Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2024, iss. 1, pp. 107–122.
- Tarasikov V.P. Rezul'taty posleradiatsionnykh issledovaniy sterzhney SUZ bystrykh energeticheskikh reaktorov [Results of post-radiation studies of rods of fast power reactors]. Preprint FEI-3306 – Preprint IPPE-3306. Obninsk, IPPE Publ., 2024, 28 p.
- Tarasikov V.P. Installation for the quantitative determination of gaseous fistion products in materials irradiated by neutrons. Instruments and Experimental Techniques, 2022, vol. 65, no. 5, pp. 834–836. DOI: 10.1134S0020441222050098.
UDC 621.039.526: 621.039.534
Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2024, no. 3, 3:10
