Comparisons of calculated and measured ~237Np, ~241Am, and ~243Am concentrations as a function of the ~240Pu/~239Pu isotopic Ratio in spent fuel

摘要

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has developed a system for determining ~237Np, ~241Am, and ~243Am concentrations in spent fuel form measurements of the ~240Pu/~239Pu isotopic ratio using calculations per- formed with the HELIOS lattice-physics code. Bench- mark calculations for several pressurized water reactors (PWRs) were performed and compared to measured values from the literature for fuels with burnups ranging form 0 to 50 000 MWd/tonne U. A direct correlation can be found between the ~240Pu/~239Pu isotopic ratio and the higher-actinide concentrations for each fuel type.