Experimental Results for Direct Electron Irradiation of a Uranyl Sulfate Solution: Bubble Formation and Thermal Hydraulics Studies

Technical Report · Fri Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1234216· OSTI ID:1234216

Chemerisov, Sergey ^[1]; Gromov, R. ^[1]; Makarashvili, Vakhtang ^[1]; Heltemes, Thad ^[1]; Sun, Zaijing ^[1]; Wardle, Kent E. ^[1]; Bailey, James ^[1]; Stepinski, Dominique ^[1]; Jerden, James ^[1]; Vandegrift, George F. ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

In support of the development of accelerator-driven production of fission product Mo-99 as proposed by SHINE Medical Technologies, a 35 MeV electron linac was used to irradiate depleted-uranium (DU) uranyl sulfate dissolved in pH 1 sulfuric acid at average power densities of 6 kW, 12 kW, and 15 kW. During these irradiations, gas bubbles were generated in the solution due to the radiolytic decomposition of water molecules in the solution. Multiple video cameras were used to record the behavior of bubble generation and transport in the solution. Seven six-channel thermocouples were used to record temperature gradients in the solution from self-heating. Measurements of hydrogen and oxygen concentrations in a helium sweep gas were recorded by a gas chromatograph to estimate production rates during irradiation. These data are being used to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the experiment that includes multiphase flow and a custom bubble injection model for the solution region.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1234216
• Report Number(s): ANL/NE-15/19; 122481; TRN: US1600211
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
42 ENGINEERING
SOLUTIONS
THERMAL HYDRAULICS
URANYL SULFATES
RADIOLYSIS
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
ELECTRONS
DEPLETED URANIUM
MOLYBDENUM 99
BUBBLES
SULFURIC ACID
HYDROGEN
OXYGEN
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
MEV RANGE 10-100
MULTIPHASE FLOW
WATER
POWER RANGE 01-10 KW
POWER RANGE 10-100 KW
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
ABUNDANCE
HEATING
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPE PRODUCTION