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Tritium speciation in nuclear reactor bioshield concrete and its impact on accurate analysis

Tritium speciation in nuclear reactor bioshield concrete and its impact on accurate analysis
Tritium speciation in nuclear reactor bioshield concrete and its impact on accurate analysis
Tritium (3H) is produced in nuclear reactors via several neutron-induced reactions [2H(n,?)3H, 6Li(n,?)3H, 10B(n, 2?)3H, 14N(n, 3H)12C, and ternary fission (fission yield <0.01%)]. Typically, 3H is present as tritiated water (HTO) and can become adsorbed into structural concrete from the surface inward where it will be held in a weakly bound form. However, a systematic analysis of a sequence of subsamples taken from a reactor bioshield using combustion and liquid scintillation analysis has identified two forms of 3H, one weakly bound and one strongly bound. The strongly bound tritium, which originates from neutron capture on trace lithium (6Li) within mineral phases, requires temperatures in excess of 350 °C to achieve quantitative recovery. The weakly bound form of tritium can be liberated at significantly lower temperatures (100 °C) as HTO and is associated with dehydration of hydrous mineral components. Without an appreciation that two forms of tritium can exist in reactor bioshields, the 3H content of samples may be severely underestimated using conventional analytical approaches. These findings exemplify the need to develop robust radioactive waste characterization procedures in support of nuclear decommissioning programs.
0003-2700
5476-5480
Kim, Dae Ji
bf0b9f25-2a3b-4448-9725-dd34985585b8
Warwick, Phillip E.
f2675d83-eee2-40c5-b53d-fbe437f401ef
Croudace, Ian W.
24deb068-d096-485e-8a23-a32b7a68afaf
Kim, Dae Ji
bf0b9f25-2a3b-4448-9725-dd34985585b8
Warwick, Phillip E.
f2675d83-eee2-40c5-b53d-fbe437f401ef
Croudace, Ian W.
24deb068-d096-485e-8a23-a32b7a68afaf

Kim, Dae Ji, Warwick, Phillip E. and Croudace, Ian W. (2008) Tritium speciation in nuclear reactor bioshield concrete and its impact on accurate analysis. Analytical Chemistry, 80 (14), 5476-5480. (doi:10.1021/ac8002787).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Tritium (3H) is produced in nuclear reactors via several neutron-induced reactions [2H(n,?)3H, 6Li(n,?)3H, 10B(n, 2?)3H, 14N(n, 3H)12C, and ternary fission (fission yield <0.01%)]. Typically, 3H is present as tritiated water (HTO) and can become adsorbed into structural concrete from the surface inward where it will be held in a weakly bound form. However, a systematic analysis of a sequence of subsamples taken from a reactor bioshield using combustion and liquid scintillation analysis has identified two forms of 3H, one weakly bound and one strongly bound. The strongly bound tritium, which originates from neutron capture on trace lithium (6Li) within mineral phases, requires temperatures in excess of 350 °C to achieve quantitative recovery. The weakly bound form of tritium can be liberated at significantly lower temperatures (100 °C) as HTO and is associated with dehydration of hydrous mineral components. Without an appreciation that two forms of tritium can exist in reactor bioshields, the 3H content of samples may be severely underestimated using conventional analytical approaches. These findings exemplify the need to develop robust radioactive waste characterization procedures in support of nuclear decommissioning programs.

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Published date: 2008

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 64030
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/64030
ISSN: 0003-2700
PURE UUID: de13f51a-774f-4d49-8bdd-84adf351e003
ORCID for Phillip E. Warwick: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8774-5125

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Date deposited: 25 Nov 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:49

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Author: Dae Ji Kim
Author: Ian W. Croudace

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