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Study of evaporating the irradiated graphite in equilibrium low-temperature plasma

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Thermophysics and Aeromechanics Aims and scope

Abstract

The paper describes a problem of accumulation of irradiated graphite due to operation of uranium-graphite nuclear reactors. The main noncarbon contaminants that contribute to the overall activity of graphite elements are iso-topes 137Cs, 60Co, 90Sr, 36Cl, and 3H. A method was developed for processing of irradiated graphite ensuring the volu-metric decontamination of samples. The calculation results are presented for equilibrium composition of plasma-chemical reactions in systems “irradiated graphite−argon” and “irradiated graphite−helium” for a wide range of tem-peratures. The paper describes a developed mathematical model for the process of purification of a porous graphite surface treated by equilibrium low-temperature plasma. The simulation results are presented for the rate of sublimation of radioactive contaminants as a function of plasma temperature and plasma flow velocity when different plasma-forming gases are used. The extraction coefficient for the contaminant 137Cs from the outer side of graphite pores was calculated. The calculations demonstrated the advantages of using a lighter plasma forming gas, i.e., helium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pilot and Demonstration Center for Decommissioning of Uranium-Graphite Nuclear Reactors (PDC UGR), Seversk, Russia

    E. V. Bespala, A. O. Pavlyuk & S. G. Kotlyarevskiy

  2. Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia

    I. Yu. Novoselov

Authors
  1. E. V. Bespala
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  2. I. Yu. Novoselov
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  3. A. O. Pavlyuk
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  4. S. G. Kotlyarevskiy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. V. Bespala.

Additional information

Research was financially supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project No. 16-38-00382 mol_a) and by Grant UMNIK (No. 10212GU/2015).

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Bespala, E.V., Novoselov, I.Y., Pavlyuk, A.O. et al. Study of evaporating the irradiated graphite in equilibrium low-temperature plasma. Thermophys. Aeromech. 25, 109–117 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864318010109

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864318010109

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