• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.54-57
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• 2012

Mass spectrometric analysis was carried out using multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) for the precise and accurate determination of the isotope ratios of ultratrace levels of uranium dissolved in 3% $HNO_3$. We used the certified reference material (CRM) 112-A at a trace level of 100 pg/mL for the uranium isotopic measurement. Multiple collectors were utilized for the simultaneous measurement of uranium isotopes to reduce the signal uncertainty due to variations in the ion beam intensity over time. Mass bias correction was applied to the measured U isotopes to improve the precision and accuracy. Furthermore, elemental standard solution with certified values of platinum, iridium, gold, and thallium dissolved in 3% $HNO_3$ were analyzed to investigate the formation rates of the polyatomic ions of $Ir^{40}$ $Ar^+$, $Pt^{40}$ $Ar^+$, $Tl^{40}$ $Ar^+$, $Au^{40}$ $Ar^+$ for the concentration range of 50-400 pg/mL. Those polyatomic ions have mass-to-charge ratios in the 230-245 m/z region that it would contribute to the increase of background intensity of uranium, thorium, plutonium, and americium isotopes. The effect of the polyatomic ion interference on uranium isotope measurement has been estimated.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.319-326
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate the high-acidity co-separation of Am and RE from a simulated radwaste solution by a solvent extraction using a mixture of Dimethyldibutyltetradecylmalonamide (DMDBTDMA, as an extractant) and dihexyl octanamide (DHOA, as a phase modifier) diluted with n-dodecane (NDD). All the experiments were conducted as a batch type. First, the environmentally friendly DMDBTDMA and DHOA composed of only CHON atoms were self-synthesized. Then, the conditions for the prevention of a third phase, generated in the organic phase were examined. In addition, the effects of the concentration of nitric acid, DHOA, oxalic acid and $H_2O_2$ on the co-extraction of Am and RE were elucidated. Consequently, the optimum condition of (0.5M DMDBTDMA+0.5M DHOA)/NDD-0.3M $C_2H_2O_4-4.5M$ $HNO_3$ and O/A=2 was obtained through experimental work. Under this condition, the extraction yields were found to be about 80% for Am, more than 70% for RE such as La, Eu, Nd, Ce, etc., 3% for Cs and Sr, 69% for Fe and less than 11% for Mo and Ru. For the co-extraction of Am and RE, Fe should be removed in advance or prevented from a co-extraction with Am by controlling the different extraction rates of Am and Fe. About 95% of the Am and RE in the organic phase were stripped using a 0.5M $HNO_3$.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3367-3378
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• 2021

The design phase and safety assessment of Generation IV liquid metal-cooled fast reactors calls for the improvement of fuel pin performance codes, in particular the enhancement of their predictive capabilities towards uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels and stainless-steel cladding under irradiation in fast reactor environments. To this end, the current capabilities of fuel performance codes must be critically assessed against experimental data from available irradiation experiments. This work is devoted to the assessment of three European fuel performance codes, namely GERMINAL, MACROS and TRANSURANUS, against the irradiation of two fuel pins selected from the SUPERFACT-1 experimental campaign. The pins are characterized by a low enrichment (~ 2 wt.%) of minor actinides (neptunium and americium) in the fuel, and by plutonium content and cladding material in line with design choices envisaged for liquid metal-cooled Generation IV reactor fuels. The predictions of the codes are compared to several experimental measurements, allowing the identification of the current code capabilities in predicting fuel restructuring, cladding deformation, redistribution of actinides and volatile fission products. The integral assessment against experimental data is complemented by a code-to-code benchmark focused on the evolution of quantities of engineering interest over time. The benchmark analysis points out the differences in the code predictions of fuel central temperature, fuel-cladding gap width, cladding outer radius, pin internal pressure and fission gas release and suggests potential modelling development paths towards an improved description of the fuel pin behaviour in fast reactor irradiation conditions.