• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제38권3호
• /
• pp.301-310
• /
• 2006

Destructive methods were used for the burnup determination of U-Zr alloy nuclear fuel irradiated in the High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor (HANARO) at KAERI. The dissolution rate of unirradiated U-Zr alloy fuel in $HNO_3$/HF mixtures was investigated for the experimental conditions of a different temperature, and initial concentrations of HF and $HNO_3$. The irradiated U-Zr alloy fuel specimen was dissolved in a mixed acid condition of 3 M HNO3 and 1 M HF at $90^{\circ}C$ for 8 hours under reflux. The total burnup was determined from measurement of the Nd isotope burnup monitors. The method includes U, Pu, $^{148}Nd,\;^P{145}Nd+^{146}Nd,\;^{144}Nd+^{143}Nd$ and total Nd isotopes determination by the isotope dilution mass spectrometric method (IDMS) using triple spikes $(^{233}U,\;^{242}Pu\;and\;^{150}Nd)$. The effective fission yield was calculated from the weighted fission yields averaged over the irradiation period. The results are compared with that obtained by the destructive -spectrometric measurement of the $^{137}Cs$ monitor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제47권7호
• /
• pp.924-933
• /
• 2015

The correlation of the isotopic composition of uranium, plutonium, neodymium, and cesium with the burnup for high burnup pressurized water reactor fuels irradiated in nuclear power reactors has been experimentally investigated. The total burnup was determined by Nd-148 and the fractional $^{235}U$ burnup was determined by U and Pu mass spectrometric methods. The isotopic compositions of U, Pu, Nd, and Cs after their separation from the irradiated fuel samples were measured using thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The contents of these elements in the irradiated fuel were determined through an isotope dilution mass spectrometric method using $^{233}U$, $^{242}Pu$, $^{150}Nd$, and $^{133}Cs$ as spikes. The activity ratios of Cs isotopes in the fuel samples were determined using gamma-ray spectrometry. The content of each element and its isotopic compositions in the irradiated fuel were expressed by their correlation with the total and fractional burnup, burnup parameters, and the isotopic compositions of different elements. The results obtained from the experimental methods were compared with those calculated using the ORIGEN-S code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제53권3호
• /
• pp.901-910
• /
• 2021

KHNP recently has obtained the approval for the commercialization of the modified 37-element (or 37 M) fuel bundle and now is loading the 37 M fuel bundles in CANDU-6 reactors in KOREA. One of the main issues for approval was the burnup limit. Due to CANDU design and neutronic characteristics, there was no specific burnup restriction of a fuel bundle. The absence of a burnup limit does not mean that a fuel bundle can stay in the CANDU reactor without a time limit. However, the regulator requested traditional design values as well as the burnup limit reflecting the computer code uncertainty. The method for the PWR burnup limit was not applied to the CANDU fuel bundle. Since there was no approved methodology to build the burnup limit with uncertainties, KHNP introduced a Monte-Carlo method coupled with a 95/95 approach to determine the conservative burnup limit from the viewpoint of the centerline temperature, internal pressure, strain measurement deviation. Moreover, to consider the uncertainties of various computing models, a converted power uncertainty was introduced. This paper presents the methodology and puts forward the limits on burnup, evaluated for each of the existing and modified fuel bundles, in consideration of the pressure tube aging condition.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제41권10호
• /
• pp.1307-1314
• /
• 2009

The isotope ratio of $^{134}Cs/^{137}Cs$ in a spent PWR fuel sample was obtained with a newly developed gamma/neutron combined measuring system at KAERI. Burnup and Pu/U ratio of the spent fuel sample were determined by using the measured isotope ratio and the burnup-isotope ratio correlation equations calculated from the ORIGEN-ARP computer code. The results were compared and evaluated with the chemically determined burnup and Pu/U ratio. As a result of the comparative evaluation, the nondestructively determined burnup and Pu/U ratio values showed a good agreement with the chemically obtained results to within a 4.5% and 0.8% difference, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제51권4호
• /
• pp.943-948
• /
• 2019

In this study, investigation of spent fuel was performed using six group delayed neutron parameters. Three used fuels (F1, F2, and F11) which are burnt over the years in the core of Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR), were investigated. F16 fresh fuel was used as plutonium free fuel element and compared with irradiated used fuels to develop burnup and Pu discrimination method. The fast fission factor of the MSTR was calculated to be 1.071 which was used for burnup calculations. Burnup values of F2 and F11 fuel elements were estimated to be 1.98 g and 2.7 g, respectively. $^{239}Pu$ conversion was calculated to be 0.36 g and 0.50 g for F2 and F11 elements, respectively.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제26권4호
• /
• pp.569-574
• /
• 2005

A coupled column liquid chromatography system was applied for the separation of the burnup monitors in spent nuclear fuel sample solutions. A reversed phase column was studied for the adsorption behavior of uranyl ions using alpha-hydroxyisobutyric acid as an eluent and used for the separation of plutonium and uranium. A cation exchange column prepared by coating 1-eicosylsulfate onto the reversed phase column was used for the separation of the lanthanides. In addition, retention of Np was checked with the reversed phase column and cation exchange column, respectively, according to the oxidation states to observe the interference effect for the separation of burnup monitors. This chromatography system showed a great reduction in separation time compared to a conventional anion exchange method. A good agreement from the burnup data was obtained between for this method and a conventional anion exchange method to within 1% of a difference for the spent nuclear fuel samples of about 40 GWD/MTU.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제17권1호
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 1985

원자력 발전소의 조사후 핵연료 저장풀에시 조사후 핵연료 집합체에 대한 감마선 분광분석 실험을 비파괴적인 방법으로 수행하였다. 조사후 핵연료 집합체가 갖는 연소분포를 알기 위해서 1차핵분열 생성물과 2차핵분열 생성물간의 감마선 강도비인 $^{134}$ Cs$^{137}$Cs을 사용했으며 그 결과는 이들 집합체가 노심내에서 연소시에 가졌든 중성자 분포의 기대치와 상응하였다. 이로부터 감마선 강도비 $^{134}$ Cs$^{137}$Cs은 연소도 해석을 위한 좋은 인디케이터임을 확인하였다. 핵물질의 안전관리면에서 중요시되고 있는 조사후 핵연료의 냉각시간을 감마선 강도비 $^{144}$ Ce$^{137}$Cs을 사용하여 구했으며 이를 핵연료 관리기록에 의한 냉각시간과 비교해 본 결과 각각 2%, 10%이내의 차이를 나타내었다. 이로부터 본 실험에서 냉각시간을 하기 위해서 유도한 방정식을 단일 주기로 연소된 핵연료에 대해서 사용할 수 있음을 실증하였다.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국원자력학회 2001년도 춘계학술발표회요약집
• /
• pp.383.2-383
• /
• 2001

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국원자력학회 2003년도 추계학술발표대회 요약집
• /
• pp.446.1-446.1
• /
• 2003

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제39권5호
• /
• pp.673-682
• /
• 2007

The contents of transuranic elements in high-burnup spent fuel samples were determined. The activity amounts of $^{238}Pu,\;^{239}Pu,\;^{240}Pu,\;^{241}Am,\;^{244}Cm\;and\;^{242}Cm$ were measured by alpha spectrometry using $^{242}Pu\;and\;^{243}Am$ as tracers, respectively. A spike addition method for $^{237}Np$ was established by an alpha and gamma spectrometry using $^{239}Np$ as a spike after the optimum conditions for the measurements of $^{237}Np\;and\;^{239}Np$, respectively, were obtained. A separation system using anion exchange chromatography and diethylhexylphosphoric acid extraction chromatography was applied for the separation of these elements. This method was applied to high-burnup spent nuclear fuel samples $(40{\sim}60GWD/MTU)$. The contents of the transuranic elements were compared with those by ORIGEN-2 code. Measurements and the calculations of the contents of the plutonium isotopes $^{238}Pu,\;^{239}Pu\;and\;^{240}Pu$ agreed to within 10% on average. The contents of $^{237}Np$ agreed to within approximately 5% except for one instance of a calculation, while those of $^{241}Am,\;^{244}Cm\;and\;^{242}Cm$ showed higher values by approximately 19%, 35% and 14% on average, respectively, compared to the calculations according to the burnup.