COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF URANIUM AND TRANSURANIUM (Pu, Cm) ACCUMULATION ON STAINLESS STEEL AND Zr+Nb CLADDING MATERIAL SURFACES

摘要

Within the frame of a joint project, accumulation of the uranium and transuranium (TRU) species on construction materials (such as stainless steel and Zr+Nb cladding material) has been studied. The sorption studies were carried out in a static model system, in boric acid coolants provided by the Paks NPP. Solution and samples obtained in the course of below experiments were analyzed by independent (α-spectrometry, ICP-MS, SEM-EDX, voltammetry) methods. The experimental results reveal that the solution concentration of uranium and TRU nuclides in each experiment decreases significantly within a relatively short period of time, giving a direct evidence of the fast sorption kinetics. It should however be noted that the mechanistic features of the contamination processes are decisively dependent upon the very nature of radionuclides studied and the chemical structure and composition of the surface oxide layer formed on stainless steel.