*%£&*> STUDIECENTRUM VOOR KERNENERGIE CENTRE D'ETUDE DE L'ENERGIE NUCLEAIRE mo •niBEÜHF Annual Report 1981 BLG 556 Head Office SCK/CEN E. Plaskylaan 144, avenue E. Plasky B - 1040 Brussels (Belgium) Laboratories SCK/CEN Boeretang 200 B-2400 Mol (Belgium) Annual Report 1981 BLG 556 Previous Annual Scientific Reports 1966: D/79/67 1967: D/55/68 1968: D/68/69 1969: D/69/70 1970: BLG 460 1971: BLG 467/72 1972: BLG 481/73 1973: BLG 495/74 1974: BLG 506/75 1975: BLG 515/76 1976: BLG 520/77 1977: BLG 524/78 1978: BLG 527/79 1979: BLG 537/80 1980: BLG 551/81 CONTENTS Chapter 1 - SODIUM COOLED FAST NEUTRON REACTORS INTRODUCTION l-l 1.1. MIXED OXIDE FUEL l-l 1.1.1. Fuel fabrication studies 1-2 1.1.2. Mixed oxide fuel irradiations 1-4 1.2. MATERIALS 1-5 1.2.1. Tube fabrication 1-6 1.2.2. Evaluation of ultrasonic testing and effect of natural defects on creep properties 1-6 1.2.3. Mechanical properties 1-7 1.2.4. Chemical stability of the alloys 1-7 1.2.5. Irradiation experiments 1-7 1.2.6. Post-irradiation examination 1-8 1.3. FAST REACTOR PHYSICS 1-9 1.3.1. Work in support of the design of large si/e breeders 1-9 1.3.2. Physics measurement programme for the start-up of SNR 300 and SUPERPHEN1X I 1-13 1.3.3. In-pile neutron dosimetry for fuels and materials 1-13 1.4. FAST REACTOR SAFETY 1-15 1.4.1. Fast reactor safety evaluation 1-15 1.4.2. MOL 7C project: In-pile sodium flow disturbance tests 1-17 1.4.3. The PAHR project: Post accident heat removal safety experiments 1-20 1.5. SODIUM COOLANT STUDIES 1-22 1.5.1. Operation of the sodium loops 1-22 1.5.2. Sodium heat transfer 1-22 1.6. MECHANICAL TESTS ' 1-24 1.6.1. Modal analysis of a dummy LMFBR fuel rod 1-24 1.6.2. Fretting corrosion tests 1-25 Chapter 2 - GAS COOLED REACTORS 2.I.THE«C.SB» EXPERIMENT 2-1 2.1.1. HELM 3 irradiation campaign 2-1 2.1.2. HELM 2A programme 2-2 2.1.3. In-pile section • 2-2 2.2. HELIUM LOOP He I 2-2 Chapter 3 - WATER COOLED REACTORS 3.1. THE BR3 PLANT 3-1 3.1.1. The core BR3/4C 3-1 3.1.2. Plant operation 3-4 3.2. LVVR FUEL CYCLE PHYSICS 3-6 3.2.1. Venus critical experiments 3-6 3.2.2. Out-of-pile fuel cycle 3-6 3.2.3. Development of non-destructive fuel e.xaniination by gamma spectrometry 3-7 3.2.4. Application of non-destructive examination techniques 3-9 3.3. FUEL BEHAVIOUR - TRIBULATION 3-10 3.4. MECHANICAL TESTS 3-11 3.4.1. Shock resistance tests on grids 3-11 3.4.2. Fuel assembly vibration tests 3-11 3.5. PRESSURE VESSEL STUDIES 3-12 3.5.1. Research and development dosimetry 3-12 3.5.2. Pressure vessel surveillance of Belgian power plants 3-18 3.6. SAFETY RELATED RESEARCH 3-18 3.7. INSTRUMENTATION 3-18 Chapter 4 - REPROCESSING, WASTE TREATMENT, FUSION AND SAFEGUARDS ' 4.1. REPROCESSING 4-1 1.I.I. Head-end studies 4-1 4.1.2. Purification of reprocessing off-gases 4-2 4.1.3. H ER M ES project 4-4 4. f.4. Separation of tritium from aqueous effluents 4-6 4.1.5. Support to the PAMELA project for the vitrification of high-level liquid waste 4-7 4.1.6. Aerosol filtration 4-8 4.2. WASTE CONDITIONING AND DISPOSAL 4-9 4.2.1. Geological disposal of radioactive waste 4-9 4.2.2. High-temperature incineration 4-14 4.2.3. Characteri/ation of vitrified radioactive waste products 4-14 4.2.4. Conditioning of cladding waste 4-17 4.3. FUSION 4-18 4.3.1. Lithium technology and corrosion studies 4-18 4.3.2. Materials 4-21 4.3.3. Participation in the JET project 4-23 4.4. SAFEGUARDS 4-23 4.4.1. Introduction 4-23 4.4.2. International research and development co-ordination 4-23 4.4.3. Research activities 4-24 4.4.4. System analysis 4-25 Chapter 5 - ORIENTED BASIC RESEARCH 5.1. MATERIALS SCIENCE 5-1 5.1.1. Electron microscopy 5-1 5.1.2. Neutron diffraction studies on rcorientational motions of NH2 groups in potassium amide . 5-2 5.1.3. Internal friction ' 5-2 5.1.4. Thcrmophysical measurements 5-3 5.2. NUCLEAR AND NEUTRON PHYSICS 5-3 5.2.1. Experimental nuclear physics 5-3 5.2.2. Theoretical physics 5-6 5.2.3. Neutron inelastic scattering by condensed matter 5-6 5.2.4. Datation with natural radioisotopes 5-7 5.2.5. Laser isotope separation 5-8 5.3. RADIOBIOLOGY 5-8 5.3.1. Short-term effects of ioni/ing radiation 5-9 5.3.2. Long-term effects of ioni/ing radiation 5-10 5.3.3. Genetic effects of radiation in mammals ' 5-14 5.3.4. Toxicity of radionuclides 5-15 5.3.5. Radioactive contamination of the environment 5-16 5.3.6. Non-radioactive contamination of the environment 5-18 5.3.7. Study of the integration, replication and biological expression of foreign DNA administered to different organisms 5-20 5.3.8. Toxicology 5-22 5.4. EXPLORATORY RESEARCH 5-22 5.4.1. Recovery of uranium from phospheric acid 5-22 5.4.2. Recovery of uranium from waste residues of the phosphate industry 5-23 5.4.3. Instantaneous neutron flux measurement by self-powered neutron (SPN) detectors 5-23 Chapter 6 - NON-NUCLEAR PROGRAMMES 6.1. AIR POLLUTION 6- 6. .I. The Belgian automatic air quality monitoring network 6-1 6. .2. Measuring campaigns for gaseous pollutants 6-2 .3. Research programmes on organic compounds 6-2 .4. Primary gas standards 6-2 .5. Analyses of toxic organic compounds in environmental samples 6-2 .6. Air pollution due to heavy metals 6-3 .7. Meteorological studies 6-3 .8. Air pollution modelling and impact assessment evaluations 6-3 .9. The 5th CEC campaign on remote sensing techniques 6-4 .10.Atmospheric fission product dispersion following a reactor accident 6-4 6.1.11.Asbestos in air 6-4 6.1.12.Asbestos in water 6-6 6.1.13.Emission measurements 6-6 6.2. POLLUTION ABATEMENT 6-6 6.3. WATER 6-7 6.4. ELECTROCHEMISTRY PROGRAMMES 6-7 6.4.1. ELENCO fuel cell programme 6-7 6.4.2. Hydrogen programme 6-8 6.4.3. Exploratory electrochemistry work 6-11 6.5. ENERGY CONSERVATION 6-13 6.5.1. Energy measuring team 6-13 6.5.2. Energy activities in relation to the national energy conservation service 6-13 6.6. SOLAR ENERGY AND HEAT STORAGE 6-14 6.6.1. Thermal conversion of solar energy 6-14 6.6.2. Research on materials lor cells for direct con\ersion of solar energy 6-16 6.7. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 6-17 6.8. MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION 6-17 6.9. SUPERCONDUCTORS 6-18 6.9.1. Development of superconducting materials 6-18 6.9.2. Properties of superconductors 6-18 6.9.3. Radiation effects in superconductors 6-19 6.9.4. Mathematical analysis of superconducting magnets 6-19 6.10. ORGANIC SYNTHESIS REACTIONS 6-19 Chapter 7 - THE BR2 MATERIALS TESTING REACTOR AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACILITIES 7.1. IRRADIATION DEVICES 7-2 7.1.1. General 7-2 7.1.2. MOL 18 project 7-4 7.2. TESTING AND COMMISSIONING SECTION 7-6 7.2.1. Commissioning of experimental irradiation deuces 7-6 7.2.2. Technical assistance 7-7 7.3. OPERATION AND UTILIZATION OF THE REACTOR 7-7 7.3.1. Reactor operation 7-7 7.3.2. Operating incidents 7-14 7.3.3. Reactor equipment 7-15 7.3.4. Reactor utilization 7-15 7.4. HOT LABORATORIES 7-18 7.4.1. Very high activity cells (60.000 Ci - 3 MeV) 7-18 7.4.2. Medium activity laboratory 7-18 7.5. REACTOR PHYSICS STUDIES IN SUPPORT OF THE IRRADIATION PROGRAMME AND OF REACTOR OPERATION 7-18 7.5.1. Irradiation devices 7-18 7.5.2. Reactor operation 7-19 Chapter 8 - SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES 8.1. REACTOR PHYSICS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS 8-1 .I.Thc BRI reactor 8-1 .2. The THETIS reactor at the R.U. Gent 8-1 .3. The TRIGA Mark II reactor at CREN-Kinshasa 8-2 .4. Teaching of nuclear techniques at CREN-Kinshasa 8-2 .5. Informatics 8-2 .6. Computer services 8-3 8.1.7. Mathematical support 8-3 .8. Simulator 8-4 8.2. METALLURGY AND PLUTONIUM FUEL GROUP 8-4 8.2.1. Metallurgical services 8-4 8.2.2. Plutonium laboratories 8-5 8.3. CHEMISTRY SERVICES 8-6 8.3.1. Analytical chemistry 8-6 8.3.2. Radiochemistry 8-8 8.4. LABORATORIES FOR HIGH AND MEDIUM ACTIVITIES (LHMA) 8-10 8.4.1. Miscellaneous services 8-10 8.4.2. Dismantling, decontamination and interventions at hot cells and contaminated /ones 8-11 8.4.3. Technical support 8-11 8.5. RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL 8-11 8.5.1. Radioactive liquid waste treatment 8-12 8.5.2.