An apparatus to study rare-gas fission-product release from nuclear fuel materials during post irradiation heating was developed. Xenon and krypton fission gases escaping from a small specimen during heating at constant temperature are measured using a continuous radioactivity monitor and charcoal adsorption traps. The rhodium-wound furnace is capable of operation at 1600 C. Helium carrier gas is purified by activated alumina, copper, and zirconium traps, and the oxygen and moisture contents of the gas are monitored continuously. The operating procedure and data are presented for a typical heating experiment in which fused uranium dioxide was studied. Data analysis is in progress and will be presented in subsequent reports.
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