FISSION FRAGMENT AND PLUTONIUM MIGRATION IN URANIUM DIOXIDE FUEL

Technical Report · Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 1962

OSTI ID:4769879

Bates, J L; Christensen, J A; Roake, W E

Experiments showed extensive relocation of several fission product elements and plutonium in UO/sub 2/ fuel. Thin glass plates in contact with polished UO/sub 2/ surfaces darkened in proportion to the density of radioactive nuclei in the adjacent fuel. This produced maps of the UO/sub 2/ surfaces showing the variation in gross concentrations of radioactive fission products. More precise fission fragment concentration data were obtained by radiochemical analyses. Gross relocation of fission products in the columnar grain growth regions was observed in all test elements examined. It was found that distributions of Ce/sup 144/- Pr/sup 144/, Zr/sup 95/- Nb/sup 95/, Ru /sup 103/Ru/ sup 106// and Cs/sup 137/ followed the same pattern. The areas of maximum and minimum were associated with characteristic UO/sub 2/ microstructures developed during irradiation. It was determined that Cs/sup 137/ concentration varies by a factor of more than 20 over a radial distance of approximately i/8 in. in some of the fuel elements. The plutonium distribution showed relatively minor departure from that calculated from theory. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(45-1)-1350
• NSA Number: NSA-17-001935
• OSTI ID: 4769879
• Report Number(s): HW-SA-2778
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CERIUM 144
CESIUM 137
CLEANING
CONFIGURATION
DENSITY
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
EXPANSION
FISSION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GLASS
GRAIN SIZE
IRRADIATION
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
NIOBIUM 95
NUCLEI
PLATES
PLUTONIUM
PRASEODYMIUM 144
RADIOCHEMISTRY
RUTHENIUM 103
RUTHENIUM 106
SURFACES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VARIATIONS
ZIRCONIUM 95