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Title: LWR spent-fuel radiochemical measurements and comparison with ORIGEN2 predictions

Conference · · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)
OSTI ID:5532920

The Materials Characterization Center (MCC) at Pacific Northwest Laboratory is responsible for providing characterized spent fuel, designated approved testing material (ATMs) for subsequent use in the investigation of nuclear waste disposal forms by the US Department of Energy geologic repository project. The ATMs are selected to assure that test material is available that has a representative range of characteristics important to spent-fuel behavior in a geologic repository. Burnup and fission gas release were the primary criteria for selecting the ATMs. The five spent-fuel ATMs (ATM-101, -103, -104, -105, and -106) currently being characterized by the MCC have rod average burnups ranging from 20 to 43 MWd/kg M, fission gas releases ranging from 0.2 to 11.2%, and are from both boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors. Radiochemical analyses of the fuel included measurements of {sup 148}Nd (for fuel burnup), the isotopes of uranium and plutonium, and nuclides of importance to repository performance. Cladding samples were analyzed for {sup 14}C. The measured values of selected nuclides were compared with values obtained from calculations with the ORIGEN2 code that was used to predict isotopic quantities for all of the ATMS. Ratios of the ORIGEN2 calculated values to the measured values for ATM-103 and ATM-106 fuel are given.

OSTI ID:
5532920
Report Number(s):
CONF-881011-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 89-029442
Journal Information:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA), Vol. 57; Conference: Joint meeting of the European Nuclear Society and the American Nuclear Society, Washington, DC (USA), 30 Oct - 4 Nov 1988; ISSN 0003-018X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English