Abstract
SCK●CEN located in Mol endeavors to develop a replacement for the current nuclear research
reactor BR2 with the MYRRHA-reactor. This new generation reactor uses liquid lead-bismuth-eutectic (LBE) as coolant and spallation target. Radio-active elements such as iodine and
cadmium will be formed or released in the LBE during the future operation of MYRRHA. To
ensure the safety of the MYRRHA-reactor, the evaporation behavior of these elements has to be
known accurately.
In the present work, the evaporation of iodine and cadmium from dilute solutions in LBE was
studied experimentally. Methods for preparing dilute, homogeneous solutions of iodine and
cadmium in LBE were developed. The evaporation of dissolved iodine and cadmium and of the
solvent elements lead and bismuth was determined at high temperature by the transpiration
method followed by ICP-MS analysis. From the measured data, correlations for the equilibrium
vapor pressure at different temperatures of iodine and cadmium above LBE solutions were
derived. These correlations can be used in safety studies to determine the amount of iodine and
cadmium that will evaporate from LBE in the MYRRHA-reactor, and can serve as a motivation
to conclude if specific filter systems for these elements are required.
Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution |
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Place of Publication | Diepenbeek, Belgium |
Publisher | |
State | Published - Jun 2013 |