Trace metal assay of uranium silicide fuel
- Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Radiochemistry Division
A comprehensive trace metal assay of uranium silicide, a fuel for nuclear research reactors that employs low-enrichment uranium, is carried out by atomic spectrometry. Of the list of specification elements, 21 metallic elements are determined by a direct current (dc) arc carrier distillation technique; the rare earths yttrium and zirconium are chemically separated from the major matrix followed by a dc arc/inductively coupled argon plasma (ICP) excitation technique in atomic emission spectrometry (AES); silver is determined by electrothermal atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS) without prior chemical separation of the major matrix. Gamma radioactive tracers are used to check the recovery of rare earths during the chemical separation procedure. The detection limits for trace metallics vary in the 0.1- to 40-ppm range. The precision of the determinations as evaluated from the analysis of the synthetic sample with intermediate range analyte concentration is better than 25% relative standard deviation (RSD) for most of the elements employing dc arc-AES, while that for silver determination by ETS-AAS is 10% RSD. The precision of the determinations for four crucially important rare earths by ICP-AES is better than 3% RSD.
- OSTI ID:
- 7203744
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Technology; (United States), Vol. 106:3; ISSN 0029-5450
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Electrochemical preconcentration of metals using mercury film electrodes followed by electrothermal vaporization into an inductively coupled plasma and determination by atomic emission spectrometry
Flow injection on-line solid phase extraction coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for determination of (Ultra)trace rare earth elements in environmental materials using maleic acid grafted polytetrafluoroethylene fibers as sorbent
Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
NUCLEAR FUELS
MULTI-ELEMENT ANALYSIS
RESEARCH REACTORS
URANIUM SILICIDES
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
FABRICATION
QUALITY CONTROL
TRACE AMOUNTS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONTROL
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
MATERIALS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SILICIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SPECTROSCOPY
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
050700* - Nuclear Fuels- Fuels Production & Properties
400102 - Chemical & Spectral Procedures