A new approach to determine Pm-147 in irradiated fuel solutions

作者：Brennetot Rene^*; Stadelmann Guillaume; Caussignac Celine; Gombert Clementine; Fouque Michele; Lamouroux Christine

来源：Talanta, 2009, 78(3): 676-681.

DOI：10.1016/j.talanta.2008.12.022

• Pm-147 measurement
• ICP-MS
• Nuclear fuel

Developments carried out in the Laboratory of Isotopic. Nuclear and Elementary Analyses in order to quantify Pm-147 in spent nuclear fuels analyzed at the CEA within the framework of the Burn Up Credit research program for neutronic code validation are presented here. This determination is essential for safety-criticality Studies.
The quantity and the nature of the radionuclides in irradiated fuel solutions force LIS to separate the elements of interest before measuring their isotopic content by mass spectrometry. The main objective of this study is to modify the separation protocol used in our laboratory in order to recover and to measure the Pm-147 at the same time as the other lanthanides and actinides determined by mass spectrometry.
A very complete study oil synthetic solution (containing or not Pm-147) Was undertaken in order to determine the yield of the various stages of separation carried out before obtaining the isolated Pm fraction from the whole of the elements present in the spent fuel Solutions. With the lack of natural tracer to carry out the measurement with the isotope dilution technique, the great number of isotopes in fuel, the originality of this work tests oil the use of another present lanthanide in fuel to define the Output of separation. The yields were measured at the conclusion of each stage of separation with two others lanthanides in order to show that one of them could be used as a tracer to correct the measurement of the Pm-147 with the separation yield. The total yield (at the conclusion of the two stages of separation) was measured at the same time by ICP-MS and liquid scintillation. This last determination made it possible to validate the use of the Sm-147 (natural) to measure the Pm-147 in ICP-MS since the outputs determined in liquid scintillation and ICP-MS (starting from the radioactive decrease of the source having been used to make the synthetic solution) were equivalent. It is the first time that such measurement is performed in ICP-MS.
The measurement of the Pm-147 was finally taken Oil fuels UOx and MOx by using the Eu-153 like a tracer of the separation yield. The results obtained are in very good agreement with those obtained from neutronic calculation code.

• 出版日期2009-5-15
• 单位中国地震局