ACCURATE NUCLEAR FUEL BURNUP ANALYSES. Quarterly Progress Report No. 6, March-May 1963

Technical Report · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1963

OSTI ID:4653311

Rider, B F; Ruiz, C P; Peterson, Jr, J P; Luke, Jr, P S

Work has continued on the development of accurate methods for determining nuclear fuel burnup. Thermal flux capsule GEV-1, has completed its irradiation in MTR and its cooling period. Hardened flux capsule GEV-2 is presently in the VBWR and has received about 2 x 10/sup 19/ nvt. A fast fission capsule GEV-3, containing uranium-238 and thorium232 under cadmium, was fabricated and inserted in VBWR. Outstanding improvement in separation of neodymium from cerium and promethium by reversed phase chromatography on a D2EHP- wetted column is achieved by increasing the temperature to values in excess of 83 deg C. Such elevated temperature operation was made possible by changing the supporting medium from VYNS-type polyvinyl chloridepolyvinyl acetate copolymer which softens at 80 deg C to Chromosorb, a diatomaceous earth support, which is unaffected by the temperature employed. The work reported on fission product migration was continued with the analysis of specimen B high heat fiux sample. The two specimens A and B have shown that movement of fission products can occur relative to uranium in molten fuel. (N.W.R.)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Vallecitos Atomic Lab., San Jose, Calif.
• NSA Number: NSA-17-033765
• OSTI ID: 4653311
• Report Number(s): GEAP-4278
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BURNUP
CADMIUM
CHEMISTRY
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DIFFUSION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL CANS
FUELS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
MTR
POLYVINYLS
PROMETHIUM
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TEMPERATURE
THORIUM 232
URANIUM
URANIUM 238
VACUUM
VBWR