Analyzing Nuclear Fuel Cycles from Isotopic Ratios of Waste Products Applicable to Measurement by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: An extensive study was conducted to determine isotopic ratios of nuclides in spent fuel that may be utilized to reveal historical characteristics of a nuclear reactor cycle. This forensic information is important to determine the origin of unknown nuclear waste. The distribution of isotopes in waste products provides information about a nuclear fuel cycle, even when the isotopes of uranium and plutonium are removed through chemical processing. Several different reactor cycles of the PWR, BWR, CANDU, and LMFBR were simulated for this work with the ORIGEN-ARP and ORIGEN 2.2 codes. The spent fuel nuclide concentrations of these reactors were analyzed to find the most informative isotopic ratios indicative of irradiation cycle length and reactor design. Special focus was given to long-lived and stable fission products that would be present many years after their creation. For such nuclides, mass spectrometry analysis methods often have better detection limits than classic gamma-ray spectroscopy. The isotopic ratios {sup 151}Sm/{sup 146}Sm, {sup 149}Sm/{sup 146}Sm, and {sup 244}Cm/{sup 246}Cm were found to be good indicators of fuel cycle length and are well suited for analysis by accelerator mass spectroscopy.
Authors: Biegalski, S R, Whitney, S M, Buchholz, B
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2293975416