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EPMA-based mass balance method for quantitative fission product distribution comparison between TRISO particles

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Abstract

Two irradiated AGR-2 TRISO particles were chosen to demonstrate a recently developed mass balance technique in which EPMA-generated concentration data were used to determine fission product mass on a layer-by-layer basis in TRISO particles. EPMA-calculated fission product masses for most fission products in the two particles were within ± 20% of their ORIGEN-modelled masses. Results show that Sr, Ba, and Eu accumulate preferentially in the carbon-rich kernel periphery on the particles’ side that lacks a gap between the buffer and IPyC. In addition, the more mobile elements—Cs, Sr, Pd, and Ag, accumulate in greater quantity in the outer layers of particle AGR2-223-RS34 compared to particle AGR2-223-RS06, which has relatively more of those elements’ mass located in the kernel and kernel periphery, suggesting enhanced fission product transport in particle AGR2-223-RS34. This model can be used better understand and test fission product transport in TRISO particles.

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Data are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the National Scientific Users Facility (NSUF) for partial financial support. This work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, under U.S. Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Characterization Department, Idaho National Laboratory, PO Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID, 83415, USA

    Karen E. Wright

  2. Department of Radiation Science and Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Karen E. Wright

  3. Fuel Development, Performance, and Qualification Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA

    John D. Stempien & Isabella J. van Rooyen

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  1. Karen E. Wright
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  2. John D. Stempien
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  3. Isabella J. van Rooyen
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Correspondence to Karen E. Wright.

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Wright, K.E., Stempien, J.D. & van Rooyen, I.J. EPMA-based mass balance method for quantitative fission product distribution comparison between TRISO particles. MRS Advances 6, 1020–1025 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-021-00166-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-021-00166-2

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