skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Decay heat and decay rate of actinides in highly neutron-irradiated uranium initially of high /sup 234/U content

Abstract

The contributions from actinides to the decay heat and the decay rate relative to those from fission products in highly irradiated /sup 234/U-enriched uranium has been assessed. This assessment, which is based on measured and associated calculated actinide concentrations in a sample of uranium in which the /sup 234/U had been burned to 17% of its original >97% content (i.e., to about 17% /sup 234/U), indicates that for most practical times (<10/sup 8/ s) after reactor shutdown, the actinide contribution to the decay heat and to the decay rate is a reasonably small fraction (<7%) of the total and comes mainly from /sup 2334/U, /sup 238/Np, and /sup 238/Pu. These results differ from those for uranium only slightly enriched in /sup 235/U.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, P.O. Box 79, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania 15122
OSTI Identifier:
6862092
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Nucl. Sci. Eng.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 85:1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; POWER REACTORS; AFTER-HEAT; REACTOR CORES; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; DECAY; CALCULATION METHODS; IRRADIATION; NEPTUNIUM 238; PLUTONIUM 238; REACTOR SHUTDOWN; URANIUM 235; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; HEAVY NUCLEI; ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES; MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; NEPTUNIUM ISOTOPES; NUCLEI; ODD-ODD NUCLEI; PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES; RADIOISOTOPES; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTORS; SHUTDOWNS; URANIUM ISOTOPES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 220100* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Theory & Calculation

Citation Formats

Shure, K. Decay heat and decay rate of actinides in highly neutron-irradiated uranium initially of high /sup 234/U content. United States: N. p., 1983. Web.
Shure, K. Decay heat and decay rate of actinides in highly neutron-irradiated uranium initially of high /sup 234/U content. United States.
Shure, K. 1983. "Decay heat and decay rate of actinides in highly neutron-irradiated uranium initially of high /sup 234/U content". United States.
@article{osti_6862092,
title = {Decay heat and decay rate of actinides in highly neutron-irradiated uranium initially of high /sup 234/U content},
author = {Shure, K},
abstractNote = {The contributions from actinides to the decay heat and the decay rate relative to those from fission products in highly irradiated /sup 234/U-enriched uranium has been assessed. This assessment, which is based on measured and associated calculated actinide concentrations in a sample of uranium in which the /sup 234/U had been burned to 17% of its original >97% content (i.e., to about 17% /sup 234/U), indicates that for most practical times (<10/sup 8/ s) after reactor shutdown, the actinide contribution to the decay heat and to the decay rate is a reasonably small fraction (<7%) of the total and comes mainly from /sup 2334/U, /sup 238/Np, and /sup 238/Pu. These results differ from those for uranium only slightly enriched in /sup 235/U.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6862092}, journal = {Nucl. Sci. Eng.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 85:1,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1983},
month = {Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1983}
}