Containment of krypton-85 by an ion-implantation/sputtering process using rare earth alloys

Conference · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5440709

McClanahan, E D; Moss, R W; Greenwell, E N; Bradley, E R; McDonald, E L

The design of a remotely operable ion-implantation/sputtering process for containment of /sup 85/Kr in a solid metal alloy matrix is described. The process operates at subatmospheric pressure and is compatible with plants for reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuel that range in size up to 2000 metric tons of heavy metal per year. Process capacity is determined by the size, operating power, and number of individual krypton-trapping storage devices (KTSDs) that can be operated simultaneously in parallel. A 65-kW nonradioactive multiple storage device unit was constructed using three unshielded test modules. The KTSDs contained composite targets with copper-yttrium surface areas ratios of 1 and 5 to provide the matrix for the krypton product. Two of the KTSDs, with substrate surface areas of 1500 and 1000 cm/sup 2/, were operated simultaneously for over 3 h on a common manifold without an auxiliary vacuum pump. The other, a 1000-cm/sup 2/ unit, was tested for 1 h. Krypton was incorporated at rates of 1.5 liters (STP) per hour for the larger and 1.0 and 0.7 liters (STP) per hour for the smaller KTSDs, respectively. A higher yttrium content in one of the smaller KTSD's target was responsible for the greater trapping rate in the smaller units. Radioactive tests, using a total of 382 Ci of a krypton mixture containing 4.2% /sup 85/Kr, were performed to verify that the ..beta.. particle flux did not adversely affect the process and to provide representative /sup 85/Kr storage product for long-term elevated-temperature testing. Three-scale KTSDs, with a substrate area of 345 cm/sup 2/ and containing 80 to 150 Ci each of /sup 85/Kr implanted in a copper-yttrium alloy, are being stored at temperatures ranging from 150 to 350/sup 0/C. Periodic sampling is in progress.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5440709
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-13888; CONF-860820-10; ON: DE86015531
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALLOYS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ION IMPLANTATION
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
KRYPTON 85
KRYPTON ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEI
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTH ALLOYS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES