FISSION-PRODUCT MONITORING IN EBR-I, MARK IV

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1964

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4027855· OSTI ID:4027855

Smith, R. R.; Doe, C. B.

A description is given of the development and testing of a monitoring system which announces and analyzes the seriousness of a fuel cladding failure. The system is based on the method of passing the cover gas of the NaK coolant system through an electrostatic precipitation unit, passing the wire carrying the neutralized daughters of the rare gas fission products through a Hg trap gas seal into some water, and counting the resulting radioactive water. Since /sup 41/K, the daughter of /sup 41/Ar, is inactive, the water activity is almost exclusively that of the various Rb and Cs fission products. The equipment is described, and results are reported of some experimental tests. The discrimination against /sup 41/Ar was found to be satisfactory, and essentially all the water activity was due to /sup 88/Rb, /sup 89/Rb, and /sup 138/Cs. The background components were separated and compared, and the ratio of the normal Rb-- Cs activity to the other background components is 0.58. Results of a failure simulation experiment using unclad enriched U foils indicated that the failure of a Mark-IV fuel rod cladding would be detectable. (D.L.C.)

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., Idaho Falls, Idaho
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• NSA Number: NSA-18-019347
• OSTI ID: 4027855
• Report Number(s): ANL-6788
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ARGON 41
BACKGROUND
BREEDING
CANNING
CESIUM 138
DECAY
DETECTION
EBR-1
ELECTROSTATICS
ENRICHMENT
FAILURES
FISSION PRODUCTS
FOILS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
LIQUID METAL COOLANT
MERCURY
MOCKUP
MONITORING
POTASSIUM 41
POTASSIUM ALLOYS
PRECIPITATION
PULSE ANALYZERS
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE GASES
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
RODS
RUBIDIUM 88
RUBIDIUM 89
SEALS
SODIUM ALLOYS
TESTING
TRAPS
URANIUM
WATER
WIRES