Hot particles analysis originating from failed and damaged fuels

• Authors: Anikó Kerkápoly , Nóra Vajda , Tamás Pintér , Pintér Csordás
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The increase of activities of fission products and transmutation products in the primary coolant of a nuclear power plant indicates the presence of fuel rod failures. The measurement of the activity concentration of the primary coolant was able to detect fuel failures in the reactor core. Microanalytical methods for examining individual hot particles have been developed and applied to fuel failure detection under normal operation conditions as well as during the severe fuel damage that occurred in the cleaning tank incident at Unit 2 of NPP Paks in April 2003. Several faulty fuel rods can be detected simultaneously by the characterization of individual hot particles originating from the primary water. The analysis of particles originating from the damaged fuels provides information relating to the dissolution process of the fuel debris.

Keywords

EN

hot particle; particle analysis; fuel failure; alpha-spectrometry; burnup; incident

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Chemistry
• Year: 2005
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 106-117

Dates

published

1 - 3 - 2005

online

1 - 3 - 2005

Contributors

author

Anikó Kerkápoly

• Institute of Nuclear Techniques, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rakpart 9, H-1521, Budapest, Hungary

author

Nóra Vajda

• Institute of Nuclear Techniques, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rakpart 9, H-1521, Budapest, Hungary

author

Tamás Pintér

• Nuclear Power Plant Paks, H-7031, Paks, P.O. Box 71, Hungary

author

Pintér Csordás

• KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute, Konkoly Thege str. 29-33, H-1121, Budapest, Hungary

References

• [1] P. Slavyagin, L. Lusanova and V. Miglo: “Regulation of the Fission Product Activity in the Primary Coolant and Assessment of Defective Fuel Rod Characteristics in Steady-State VVER-Type Reactor Operation”, In: Proceedings of Int. Topical Meeting on Light Water Reactor Fuel performance, Park City, Utah, April, 2000, (CD).
• [2] J. Santucci (Ed.): Failed Fuel Action Plan Guidelines, NP-5521-SR, Special Report, 1987.
• [3] G. Rosner: Messungen von Aktinidennukliden in Primarwasser des Kernkraftwerkes Gundremmingen, GSF-Bericht S-596, Neuherberg, 1979.
• [4] A. Kerkápoly and N. Vajda: Film autoradiography used for hot particle identification, (in press).
• [5] A. Pintér Csordás, N. Vajda, A. Kerkápoly and T. Pintér: “SEM and EDX studies of “hot particles” originated from Paks Nuclear Power Plant”, In: Proceedings Vol. 2. Materials Science, University of Antwerpen, Belgium, (August 22–27 2004), pp. 739–740.
• [6] N. Vajda, Zs. Molnár, A. Kerkápoly and T. Pintér: “Radiochemical Control of Damaged Fuel After the Cleaning Tank Incident at Paks Nuclear Power Plant”, In: Proceedings of Int. Conference on Water Chemistry of Nuclear Power Plants, San Francisco, (11–14 Oct. 2004), (in press).
• [7] N. Vajda, Zs. Molnár, E. Kabai and Sz. Osvath: “Simultaneous Determination of Long-Lived Radionuclides in Environmental Samples” (from 9th Int. Symposium on Environmental Radiochemical Analysis, Maidstone, U.K., 18–20 Sept. 2002), In: N. Birsen and K.K. Kadyrzhanov (Eds.): Environmental Protection against Radioactive Pollution, Royal Chemical Society, (2003), pp. 133–146.
• [8] A. Kerkápoly, N. Vajda, A. Csordás, Z. Hózer and T. Pintér: “Fuel failures at Paks NPP”, In: Proceedings of IAEA Technical Meeting on Fuel failure in water reactors: Causes and mitigation, Slovakia, (17–21 June 2002), pp. 284–292
• [9] W. Möller, M. Burmester: Calculation of Passive Neutron Emission from Spent WWER-440 Type Fuel, Report SAAS-347 (Staatliches Amt für Atomsicherheit und Strahlenschutz), Berlin, 1987.

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/BF02476242