Separation of lead and bismuth from proton irradiated lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) target by differential precipitation

摘要

A thin foil of lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) has been bombarded with 18 MeV proton beam. Production of Bi-203,Bi-204,Bi-205,Bi-206 along with Pb-203 was observed. This paper reports the separation of bulk Pb and Bi from LBE target based on their differential precipitation properties. The irradiated foil in HNO3 medium was evaporated to dryness and after addition of deionised water, Bi precipitated out while Pb remained in supernatant with < 5% contamination from Bi, establishing a clear separation of the bulk Bi from bulk Pb with a separation factor > 86,000.