FISSION-PRODUCT MONITOR DEVELOPMENT
Abstract
An investigation was conducted on improved methods of fission-product monitoring of the test reactors at the Nuclear Aerospace Research Facility (ARF) , Fort Worth. A literature review and the results of an experiment indicated the cascaded resin-bed system as the best method. In this system, a filter removes particulate matter, a cation bed removes most of the activity attributed to corrosion products, an anion bed removes fission products present in anionic form. In the case of a fission break, the principal activity collected in the anion bed results from the isotopes I132 and I134. A single-channel rate meter is employed to monitor a specific range of energies (820 + or- 50 kev) corresponding to the most prominent gamma rays emitted by I132 and I134. Fission products can be identified by gross-gamma monitoring and their decay rates compared with the Way-Wigner equation. The delay in making this comparison is not in keeping with the fast response desired at NARF, and the system will not be sensitive to small pinhole leaks. A cladding failure of 1 sq. mm. area for the Ground Test Reactor is postulated. Analytical results indicate that the activity attributed to the I132 released from this area would be about equivalent to the background reading taken for a 162-Mw-hr run.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0482272
Entities
People
- W. E. Draper
Organizations
- General Dynamics