Gas tagging for fuel failure location using xenon and krypton

Conference · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:7279288

Goheen, M. W.; Plucinski, C. E.

The FFTF (Fast Flux Test Facility) nearing completion at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory near Richland, Washington, under the direction of The Westinghouse Hanford Co., is designed to test components and materials for the development of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors. During the initial stages of operation, the FFTF will be shut down when a fuel or control pin has a detectable cladding leak. To achieve maximum reactor operating time, monitoring methods for detecting and locating leaking pins were developed. Monitoring techniques to signal a leak are based on changes of specific activity levels of individual xenon and krypton fission product isotopes. Gas tagging is the method used to locate the failed pin. Isotopically differing tags of a gas or gases can be used as a fingerprint technique for sealed assemblies such as fuel or control pins with mass spectrometer detection to locate a specific leaker. 104 unique tags were blended for the 80 fuel assemblies and 24 control assemblies.

• Research Organization: Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-14-2170
• OSTI ID: 7279288
• Report Number(s): HEDL-SA-1154; CONF-770687-1; TRN: 78-000907
• Resource Relation: Conference: The American Society of Mass Spectrometry, Washington, District of Columbia, USA, 2 Jun 1977
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FFTF REACTOR
FAILED ELEMENT DETECTION
KRYPTON
LEAKS
XENON
ELEMENTS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
NONMETALS
RARE GASES
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TEST REACTORS
220600* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors