Gas tagging and cover gas combination for nuclear reactor
The invention discloses the use of stable isotopes of neon and argon, that are grouped in preselected different ratios one to the other and are then sealed as tags in different cladded nuclear fuel elements to be used in a liquid metal fast breeder reactor. Failure of the cladding of any fuel element allows fission gases generated in the reaction and these tag isotopes to escape and to combine with the cover gas held in the reactor over the fuel elements. The isotopes specifically are Ne/sup 20/, Ne/sup 21/ and Ne/sup 22/ of neon and Ar/sup 36/, Ar/sup 38/ and Ar/sup 40/ of argon, and the cover gas is helium. Serially connected cryogenically operated charcoal beds are used to clean the cover gas and to separate out the tags. The first or cover gas cleanup bed is held between approximately 0/sup 0/ and-25/sup 0/ C. operable to remove the fission gases from the cover gas and tags and the second or tag recovery system bed is held between approximately -170/sup 0/ and -185/sup 0/ C. operable to isolate the tags from the cover gas. Spectrometric analysis further is used to identify the specific tags that are recovered, and thus the specific leaking fuel element. By cataloging the fuel element tags to the location of the fuel elements in the reactor, the location of the leaking fuel element can then be specifically determined.
- Assignee:
- The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4495143
- Application Number:
- TRN: 85-011549
- OSTI ID:
- 5761113
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 26 Sep 1983; Other Information: PAT-APPL-535462
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
LEAKS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
FAILED ELEMENT DETECTION
ARGON 36
ARGON 38
ARGON 40
CHARCOAL
COVER GAS
CRYOGENICS
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
GAS ANALYSIS
HELIUM
LOW TEMPERATURE
NEON 20
NEON 21
NEON 22
SPECTROSCOPY
ADSORBENTS
ARGON ISOTOPES
BREEDER REACTORS
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FLUIDS
GASES
INERT ATMOSPHERE
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
MATERIALS
NEON ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RARE GASES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
STABLE ISOTOPES
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210500 - Power Reactors
Breeding