DOCSLIB.ORG

Ornl-Tm-3151

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ornl-Tm-3151 ORNL-TM- 3151 Contract No. W-7405-eng-26 Reactor Division A STUDY OF FISSION PRODUCTS IN THE MOLTEN-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT BY GAMMA. SPECTROMETRY A. Houtzeel F. F. Dyer AUGUST 1972 NOTICE This document contains information of a preliminary nature and was prepared primarily for internal use at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is subject to revision or correction and therefore does not represent a final report. OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 operated by UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION the NOTICE for report was prepared as an account of work U S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION sponsored by the United States Government. Neither the United States nor the United States Atomic Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, com- pleteness or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. iii CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT ......................... vii SUMMARY.. ........................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE MOLTEN SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT. ..... 3 1.1 Molten-Salt Reactor Concept .............. 3 1.2 Description of the MSRE ................ 4 2. OBJECTIVES OF THIS GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETRY STUDY ....... 11 3. DESCRIPTION AND PERFORMANCE OF EQUIPMENT. .......... 13 3.1 Background ...................... 13 3.2 General Description .................. 14 3.3 Detector and Amplifier ................ 17 3.4 Analyzer ....................... 17 3.5 Collimator Assembly .................. 18 3.6 Setup of Experimental Equipment ............ 20 3.7 Locational Equipment ................. 21 3.8 Shielding ...................... 21 3.9 Calibration Setup ................... 24 4. ANALYSIS OF SPECTRA ..................... 27 4.1 Purpose and General Procedure ............. 27 4.2 Problems ....................... 28 4.3 Table of Isotopes ................... 30 4.4 Computer Programs ................... 31 5. CALIBRATION. ........................ 33 5.1 General.. ...................... 33 5.2 Source ........................ 34 5.3 Slit Experiment - Source Strength ........... 35 5.4 Single Source Experiments ............... 43 5.5 Heat Exchanger Calibration .............. 44 5.6 Calibration of Shielding Materials .......... 48 5.7 Calibration for Fission Gases in the MSRE ....... 52 6. MEASUREMENTS ........................ 53 iV . Page 7 . RESULTS ............................ 57 7.1 Group A Spectra ..................... 57 7.1.1 Heat exchanger .................. 58 7.1.2 Main reactor off-gas line ............. 64 7.1.3 Main fuel lines .................. 64 7.2 Group B Spectra ..................... 67 7.2.1 Main reactor off-gas line ............. 67 7.2.2 Heat exchanger .................. 68 7.3 Group D Spectra ..................... 68 7.4 Group E Spectra ..................... 68 7.5 Group F Spectra ..................... 69 7.5.1 Main reactor off-gas line ............. 70 7.5.2 Heat exchanger .................. 84 7.5.3 Drain tank .................... 96 7.6 Group G Spectra ..................... 99 7.6.1 Heat exchanger .................. 101 7.6.2 Main reactor off-gas line ............. 112 7.6.3 Fuel pump bowl and fuel lines ........... 115 7.7 Group 9 S?ectra ..................... 119 7.7.1 Heat exchanger .................. 123 7.8 Group I Spectra ..................... 134 7.9 Group J Spectra ..................... 134 7.10 Group K Spectra ..................... 136 7.11 Group L Spectra ..................... 136 7.12 Group M Spectra ..................... 138 8 . CONCLUSIONS .......................... 141 8.1 Data Collection and Analysis ............... 141 8.1.1 Gamma spectrometer system ............. 141 8.1.2 Calibration ................... 142 8.1.3 Computer analysis program ............. 143 I 8.2 Results -General .................... 143 8.2.1 Metal surfaces in direct contact with the fuel salt .................... 143 8.2.2 Main reactor off-gas line ............. 145 V Page 8.3 Elements and Nuclide Chains ............... 146 8.3.1 Niobium ...................... 146 8.3.2 Ruthenium-rhodium ................. 148 8.3.3 Antimony-tellurium-iodine ............. 151 8.3.4 Extrapolation back to reactor shutdown time .... 154 9. EPILOGUE.. .......................... 155 Appendix A. TABLE OF RADIONUCLIDES ................ 161 Appendix B. PRODUCTION AND STANDARDIZATION OF lornAg IN SILVER TUBING FOR MSRE GAMMA SPECTROMETRY ......... 181 Appendix C. ABSOLUTE EFFICIENCY CURVES OF THE GAMMA-RAY DETECTION SYSTEM USED FOR THE CALCULATION OF ABSOLUTE AMOUNTS OF NUCLIDES DEPOSITED ................ 188 Appendix D. CALCULATIONS OF COUNTING EFFICIENCIES FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES ..................... 194 vii W 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the many per- sons who were instrumental in the proper execution of this experiment, es- pecially in the design of the equipment, the recording of the spectra, and the analysis of the results. In particular, we appreciate the valiant help of the following persons. R. Blumberg, for the very helpful efforts in the design of the equip- ment and the recording of the spectra. J. R. Engel, for his wise advice during the course of the experiment. A. F. Joseph, for his effort in making the spectrum analysis program operable on the ORNL computers. J. L. Rutherford, for the help in analyzing the computer results and preparing the figures. L. P. Pugh, for the assistance in the design of the equipment. J. A. Watts, for his help in analyzing the computer results and preparing the figures. SWRY The operation of the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) has demon- strated that a mixture of fluoride salts is a practical fluid fuel that is quite stable under reactor conditions. The chemistry of the fission prod- ucts is such, however, that some of them leave the circulating fuel salt and appear on the moderator graphite in the core, on the metal surfaces ex- posed to the salt, and on the metal surfaces in the off-gas system. Xenon and krypton fission gases are stripped in the off-gas system, where they decay to daughter nuclides. Some other elements (Mo, Nb, Ru, Te, and Sb) appear to exist in the metallic state and tend to plate out on metal or graphite surfaces or be carried out into the off-gas system as particles. Because it is important in the design of larger molten-salt reactor systems to know where and in what proportion fission products are distributed throughout the system, considerable efforts were made to obtain this infor- mation in the MSRE. A technique was developed at ORNL to locate and measure fission prod- uct depositions on surfaces exposed to the salt and in the off-gas system of the MSRE by the intensity and energy spectrum of the emitted gamma rays. A gamma-ray spectrometer was developed, consisting of a Ge(Li) detector, a 4096-channel analyzer, and a lead collimator to permit examination of small areas. This device was usually positioned with the MSRE portable mainte- nance shield over the different reactor system components, with precise alignment and location achieved by a laser beam and surveyor’s transits. Measurements were made not only with the reactor system shut down and drained but also with the fuel circulating and the reactor at several power levels. Altogether some 1000 spectra were taken, 25% of which were recorded with the reactor at some power level (a few watts to full reactor power). Another 400 spectra were taken to calibrate the equipment. Com- puterized data handling permitted this mass of data to be analyzed quali- tatively and quantitatively. Most of the effort was focused on the off-gas system and the primary heat exchanger, the latter because it contains 40% of the metal surfaces exposed to the salt. The off-gas system contained not only fission prod- ucts with gaseous precursors but also metallic elements with their decay 2 products [such as Nb, Mo, Ru, Sb, Te(I)]. The MSRE heat exchanger con- tained mostly depositions of the same metallic elements. It was observed that fission gases form a major source of activity in the heat exchanger when the reactor is shut down and the fuel is drained immediately (emer- gency drain). A high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer used with proper remote main- tenance equipment and location tools proved to be very versatile in locating and evaluating fission product depositions in a highly radioactive reactor system. 3 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE MOLTEN-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT 1.1 Molten-Salt Reactor Concept 9 * The molten-salt reactor concept originated in 1947 at Oak Ridge as a system for jet aircraft propulsion. The idea was to use a molten mixture of fluoride salts including UF4 as a fuel that could be circulated to re- move the heat from the core. Fluoride salts looked promising because of their basic physical chemistry: the vapor pressure of the molten salts would be extremely low and they would not react violently on exposure to air or water. Radiation damage would be nonexistent in the completely ionic liquid fluorides. Since a variety of interesting fluorides (NaF, LiF, BeFz, ZrF4, UF4, etc.) were known to be stable in contact with some common structural metals, a corrosionless system seemed attainable. In addition, high specific heat, good thermal conductivity, and reasonable viscosity made these liquids good heat transfer media. On the other hand, the high melting point of potential fuel mixtures (40C-5OO0C), while no drawback during power operation,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Arxiv:2003.07462V2 [Cond-Mat.Mtrl-Sci] 8 Jun 2020
    The Structure of Molten FLiNaK Benjamin A. Frandsena,∗, Stella D. Nickersonb, Austin D. Clarkb, Andrew Solanob, Raju Barala, Jonathan Williamsb, J¨orgNeuefeindc, Matthew Memmottb aDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. cNeutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA. Abstract The structure of the molten salt (LiF)0:465(NaF)0:115(KF)0:42 (FLiNaK), a potential coolant for molten salt nuclear reactors, has been studied by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and neutron total scattering experiments. We find that the salt retains well-defined short-range structural correlations out to approximately 9 A˚ at typical reactor operating temperatures. The experimentally determined pair distribution function can be described with quantitative accuracy by the molecular dynamics simulations. These results indicate that the essential ionic interactions are properly captured by the simulations, providing a launching point for future studies of FLiNaK and other molten salts for nuclear reactor applications.1 Keywords: molten salt reactor, FLiNaK, total scattering, pair distribution function, molecular dynamics Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are a promising nuclear reactor concept in which fuel and/or fertile material are dissolved directly into a halide salt coolant. This has significant benefits over traditional light water reactors (LWRs) that are in operation today, including the capability of producing medical radioisotopes and electricity simultane- ously in large amounts [1] and the possibility of reactor designs that prevent proliferation of weaponizable material, eliminate the risk of meltdown events, and avoid producing long-lived transuranic nuclear waste [2, 3].
    [Show full text]
  • Molten Salts As Blanket Fluids in Controlled Fusion Reactors [Disc 6]
    r1 0 R N L-TM-4047 MOLTEN SALTS AS BLANKET FLUIDS IN CONTROLLED FUSION REACTORS W. R. Grimes Stanley Cantor .:, .:, .- t. This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. Neither the United States nor the United States Atomic Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. om-TM- 4047 Contract No. W-7405-eng-26 REACTOR CHENISTRY DIVISION MOLTEN SALTS AS BLANKET FLUIDS IN CONTROLLED FUSION REACTORS W. R. Grimes and Stanley Cantor DECEMBER 1972 OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 operated by UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION for the 1J.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. Neither the United States nor the United States Atomic Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, com- pleteness or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. i iii CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................. 1 Introduction ........................... 2 Behavior of Li2BeFq in a Eypothetical CTR ............3 Effects of Strong Magnetic Fields .............5 Effects on Chemical Stability .............5 Effects on Fluid Dynamics ...............7 Production of Tritium ..................
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Research of Thorium Molten-Salt Reactor from a Sustainability Viewpoint
    Sustainability 2012, 4, 2399-2418; doi:10.3390/su4102399 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Article Recent Research of Thorium Molten-Salt Reactor from a Sustainability Viewpoint Takashi Kamei Research Institute for Applied Sciences, 49, Tanaka-Oi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8202, Japan; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +81-75-701-3164; Fax: +81-75-492-0679. Received: 3 July 2012; in revised form: 20 August 2012 / Accepted: 24 August 2012 / Published: 27 September 2012 Abstract: The most important target of the concept “sustainability” is to achieve fairness between generations. Its expanding interpolation leads to achieve fairness within a generation. Thus, it is necessary to discuss the role of nuclear power from the viewpoint of this definition. The history of nuclear power has been the control of the nuclear fission reaction. Once this is obtained, then the economy of the system is required. On the other hand, it is also necessary to consider the internalization of the external diseconomy to avoid damage to human society caused by the economic activity itself, due to its limited capacity. An extreme example is waste. Thus, reducing radioactive waste resulting from nuclear power is essential. Nuclear non-proliferation must be guaranteed. Moreover, the FUKUSHIMA accident revealed that it is still not enough that human beings control nuclear reaction. Further, the most essential issue for sustaining use of one technology is human resources in manufacturing, operation, policy-making and education. Nuclear power will be able to satisfy the requirements of sustainability only when these subjects are addressed. The author will review recent activities of a thorium molten-salt reactor (MSR) as a cornerstone for a sustainable society and describe its objectives and forecasts.
    [Show full text]
  • Molten-Salt Technology and Fission Product Handling
    Molten-Salt Technology and Fission Product Handling Kirk Sorensen Flibe Energy, Inc. ORNL MSR Workshop October 4, 2018 2018-10-16 Hello, my name is Kirk Sorensen and I’d like to talk with you today about fission products and their handling in molten-salt reactors. One of the things that initially attracted me to molten-salt reactor technology was the array of options that it gave for the intelligent handling of fission products. It represented such a contrast to solid-fueled systems, which mixed fission products in with unburned nuclear fuel in a form that was difficult to separate, one from another. While my focus will be on our work on molten-salt reactor fission product handling, many of the principles are general to molten-salt reactors as a whole. Fundamental Nuclear Reactor Concept In its simplest form, a nuclear reactor generates thermal energy that is carried away by a coolant. That coolant heats the working fluid of a power conversion system, which generates electricity from part of the thermal energy and rejects the remainder to the environment. coolant working fluid fresh fuel electricity Power Nuclear Heat Conversion Reactor Exchanger System spent fuel heated water or air coolant working fluid The primary coolant chosen for a nuclear reactor determines, in large part, its size and manufacturability. The temperature of the coolant determines the efficiency of electrical generation. Fundamental Nuclear Reactor Concept In its simplest form, a nuclear reactor generates thermal energy that is carried away by a coolant. That coolant heats the working fluid of a power conversion system, which generates electricity from part of the thermal energy and rejects the remainder to the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Molten-Salt Fast Reactors
    MOLTEN-SALT FAST REACTORS L. G. Alexander Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, Tennessee Thorium, plutonium, and uranium chlorides and fluorides are soluble in mixtures of the halides of Li, Be, Na, K, Mg, and other metals. Their fluoride solutions, at least, are compatible with INOR (an alloy consisting primarily of nickel). They are also compatible with graphite, a structural material as well as a moderator having many desirable properties for high-temperature application. Thus, many embodiments are possible for molten-salt reactors, ranging from simple one-fluid, one-region systems externally cooled to complex internally cooled, two-region, two- fluid systems. The capabilities of only a few of the more obvious systems have been studied so far. The nuclear and economic potentials of several thermal reactors have been evaluated heretofore, (1-3) and recently a limited program for the preliminary evaluation of fast molten-salt reactor concepts was instituted. Appropriate background studies were performed: (1) a survey was made of data available about the thermal and physical properties of molten fluoride and chloride salt mixtures, (2) the compatibilities of selected reactor materials with various reactor coolants and with molten-salt fuels were studied, (3) potential processing methods for irradiated molten fluoride and chloride reactor fuels were reviewed, and (4) data available for the nuclear properties of chlorine, nickel, and other nuclides of interest were reviewed. The compositions and physical properties of typical molten-salt
    [Show full text]
  • Stable Isotopes of Niobium Properties of Niobium
    Stable Isotopes of Niobium Isotope Z(p) N(n) Atomic Mass Natural Abundance Nuclear Spin Nb-93 41 52 92.906376 100% 9/2+ Niobium was discovered in 1801 by Charles Hatchett. Its name comes from the Greek name Niobe, meaning “daughter of Tantalus” (tantalum is closely related to niobium in the periodic table of elements). Because the niobium was discovered in an ore called columbite, it was known temporarily as columbium. Niobium, a gray or silvery soft metal, is ductile and very malleable at room temperature and does not tarnish or oxidize at room temperature. It only reacts with oxygen and halogens when heated. It is less corrosion- resistant than tantalum is at high temperatures. Niobium is not attacked by nitric acid up to 100 °C but is vigorously attacked by the mixture of nitric and hydrofluoric acids. It is unaffected at room temperature by most acids and by aqua regia. It is attacked by alkaline solutions, to some extent, at all temperatures. Niobium becomes a superconductor at 9.15 °K. It is insoluble in water, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and aqua regia; soluble in hydrofluoric acid; and soluble in fused alkali hydroxide. At ordinary temperatures niobium does not react with most chemicals; however, the metal is slowly attacked by hydrofluoric acid and dissolves and is attacked by hydrogen fluoride and fluorine gases, forming niobium pentafluoride. Niobium is oxidized by air at 350 ºC, first forming a pale yellow oxide film of increasing thickness, which changes its color to blue. On further heating to 400 ºC, it converts to a black film of niobium dioxide.
    [Show full text]
  • Status of Fast Spectrum Molten Salt Reactor Waste Management Practice December 2020
    PNNL-30739 Status of Fast Spectrum Molten Salt Reactor Waste Management Practice December 2020 Stuart T Arm David E Holcomb* Robert L Howard Brian Riley *Oak Ridge National Laboratory Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830 Choose an item. DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor Battelle Memorial Institute, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or Battelle Memorial Institute. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY operated by BATTELLE for the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830 Printed in the United States of America Available to DOE and DOE contractors from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062; ph: (865) 576-8401 fax: (865) 576-5728 email: [email protected] Available to the public from the National Technical Information Service 5301 Shawnee Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312 ph: (800) 553-NTIS (6847) email: [email protected] <https://www.ntis.gov/about> Online ordering: http://www.ntis.gov Choose an item.
    [Show full text]
  • Remote Operations and Maintenance Framework for Molten Salt Reactors
    ORNL/TM-2018/1107 Remote Operations and Maintenance Framework for Molten Salt Reactors David E. Holcomb Charles L. Britton, Jr. Venugopal K. Varma Louise G. Worrall December 2018 Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY Reports produced after January 1, 1996, are generally available free via US Department of Energy (DOE) SciTech Connect. Website www.osti.gov Reports produced before January 1, 1996, may be purchased by members of the public from the following source: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone 703-605-6000 (1-800-553-6847) TDD 703-487-4639 Fax 703-605-6900 E-mail [email protected] Website http://classic.ntis.gov/ Reports are available to DOE employees, DOE contractors, Energy Technology Data Exchange representatives, and International Nuclear Information System representatives from the following source: Office of Scientific and Technical Information PO Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Telephone 865-576-8401 Fax 865-576-5728 E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.osti.gov/contact.html This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.
    [Show full text]
  • 231Pa and 232U Production in a Fusion Breeder to Aid Nonproliferation with Thorium Fission Fuel Cycles
    Vallecitos Molten Salt Research Report No. 5 Rev.1 September 9, 2014 231Pa and 232U production in a fusion breeder to aid nonproliferation with thorium fission fuel cycles Ralph W. Moir Abstract 231Pa is made especially copiously in a fusion reactor blanket by n,2n reactions on 232Th owing to fusion’s uniquely high neutron energy being well above the reaction threshold unlike fission neutrons. The 231Pa can be extracted for use in making thorium cycles more proliferation resistant or left in the fusion reactor’s blanket to produce 232U for self- protection of the produced 233U or some of both. Typical fusion production rates of 231Pa 233 and U are of order 0.1 and 2 kg per full power year per MWfusion, respectively. Neutrons captured in 231Pa produce 232U that contributes to making 233U a 231 nonproliferant. Pa revenues per Wnucleary range from 0.08 $ to 0.5 $ depending on blanket design and market value of isotopes. By comparison, the electricity revenues is typically 0.1 $ at Q=2 and falling for Q<2 (Q=fusion power/input power). 1. Introduction This note describes a fusion breeder designed to produce 231Pa, 232U and 233U for use in molten salt reactors that are described in a companion note.1 Special emphasis is given to nonproliferation of weapons useable materials. As opposed to a fission breeder reactor, a fusion breeder reactor can produce far more fissile material for the same amount of nuclear power by an order of magnitude so that we can think of a fusion breeder being located in a site and supplying the isotopes (231Pa, 232U and 233U) to dozens of fission reactors at various sites.
    [Show full text]
  • System Studies of Fission-Fusion Hybrid Molten Salt Reactors
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2013 SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS Robert D. Woolley University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Nuclear Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Woolley, Robert D., "SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2628 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Robert D. Woolley entitled "SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Nuclear Engineering. Laurence F. Miller, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Ronald E. Pevey, Arthur E. Ruggles, Robert M. Counce Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Robert D.
    [Show full text]
  • Alternative Production Methods to Face Global Molybdenum-99 Supply Shortage
    Brief Review Article Alternative production methods to face global molybdenum-99 supply shortage Abstract The sleeping giant of molybdenum-99 (99Mo) production is grinding to a halt and the world is won- dering how this happened. Fewer than 10 reactors in the world are capable of producing radio nu- clides for medicine; approximately 50% of the world’s supply of raw material comes from National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Canada. Many of these reactors, like the NRU, are old and aging. No one of these reactors, and probably not even all of them in combination, can replace the produc- tion of NRU. As the healthcare industry faces an aging population and the demand for diagnostic services using 99mΤc continues to rise, the need for a consistent, reliable supply of 99Mo has become increasingly important, so alternative methods to produce 99Mo or even directly 99mΤc had to be considered to avoid a supply shortage in the coming years. This need guides to the production of 99Mo by replacing the Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) target in a nuclear reactor with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) and furthermore to the use of accelerators for manufacturing 99Mo or for directly producing 99mTc. Hell J Nucl Med 2011; 14(1): 49-55 Published on line: 26 March 2011 Introduction olybdenum-99 (99Mo) is an isotope of the element molybdenum, a metal discov- ered in the 18th century and is produced using highly enriched uranium (HEU) M targets. Brookhaven reactor pioneered research using subatomic particles as tools to investigate the structure of matter. The Brookhaven High Flux Beam Reactor first achieved a self-sustaining chain reaction on October 31, 1965.
    [Show full text]
  • The Radiochemistry of Niobium and Tantalum
    -._. -..—..-—-- National Academy v’” of Sciences Iational Research Council NUCLEAR SCIENCE SERIES The Radiochemistry of Niobium and Tantalum -—– J-.’ COMMITTEE ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE L. F. CURTISS, Chabman ROBLEY D. EVANS, Vice Chairman National Bureau of Stawiarda Massachusetts Instituteof Technology J. A. DeJUREN, Secre&wy WeMnghouae Electric Corporation C. J. BORKOWSKI J. W. IRVINE, JR. Oak Ridge National Laboratory Massachusetts Instituteof Technology ROBERT G. COCHRAN E. D. KLEMA Texas Agricultural and Mechanical Northwestern”University College W. WAYWE MEINKE SAMUEL EPSTEIN University of Michigan California Instituteof Technology J. ,J. NICKSON U. FANO Memorial Hospital, New York National Bureati of Standarde ROBERT L. PLATZMAN Laboratoire de Chimie Physique HERBERT GOLDSTEIN Nuclear Development Corpratlon of D. M. VAN PATTER -rica Bmtol Research Foundation LIAISON MEMBERS PAUL C. AEBERSOLD CHARLES K. REED Atomic Ene~ Commission U. S. Air Force J. HOWARD McNHLLEN WfLLLAM E. WRIGHT National Science Foundation Office of Naval Researoh SUBCOMMITTEE ON RADIOCHEMISTRY W. WAYNE MEINKE, Chairnuzu HAROLD KIRBY Univer.ai@ of Michigan Mound Lahratmy GREGORY R. CHOPPIN GEORGE LEDDICOTTE Florida State University Oak Ridge National Laboratory GEORGE A. COWAN JULIAN NTELSEN Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Hanfoni Laboratories ARTHUR W. FAIRHALL ELLIS P. STEINBERG University of Washington Argome National Laboratory JEROME HUDIS PETER C. STEVENSON Brookhaven National Laboratory Universi@ of California (Livermore) EARL HYDE LEO YAFFE Universi@ of California (Berkeley) McGill Universi~ CONSULTANTS NATRAN BALLOU” JAMES DeVOE Naval Radiologic@ Defe,pseLaboratory Univer.9i@ of Michigan WILLIAM MARLOW National Bureau of Standarda CHEMISTRY The Radiochemistry of Niobium and Tantalum ELLIS P. STEINBERG Argonne National Labo?’atovy 97OO South Cass Avenue Argonne, IiWnois t“ August1961 z s PRO‘=‘k, Subcommittee on Radiochemistry National Academy of Sciences—National Research Council Prfntedin U6A.
    [Show full text]