This paper concerns quantitative isotopic analysis of Am, Cm and Nd contained in an irradiated AmO 1.62 /MgO pellet. The complete analysis protocol is described, from dissolution of the pellets in a shielded line to the laboratory glove separation processes box for TIMS analysis. Emphasis is placed on the separation processes: by ion exchange resin in a hot cell and by HPLC in the laboratory. Intermediate measurements by X-ray fluorescence, alpha spectrometry, and ICP-AES are described.
This paper details the different steps for the isotopic determination of UAmO2 discs from analytical irradiation. MARIOS and DIAMINO irradiations were performed in materials testing reactors to study the behaviour of americium bearing blanket samples in regard of heterogeneous recycling in sodium-cooled fast reactor. Six irradiated discs were dissolved in hot cells and were analyzed to determine isotope ratios of uranium, plutonium, americium and neodymium. The ratios were measured combining chemical separations and TIMS analyses. Using the double isotope dilution methodology helps measuring 238 Pu/ 238 U, 241 Am/ 238 U and 148 Nd/ 238 U ratios with uncertainty about a few per mil (k = 2).
This study presents the combined analysis of leftover zirconium in irradiated fuel dissolution solution through time. Thermo-ionisation mass spectrometry was used to analyse the kinetics start and final aliquots with uncertainties lower than 3%, while inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for intermediary aliquots. In order to obtain low uncertainties using ICP-MS, dissolution solutions were spiked with lutetium, used as a process tracer, in order to perform a relative analysis. The analytical parameters were optimised and uncertainties were lower than 3% for real nuclear samples. This method shows the input of ICP-MS for concentration evolutions determination.
In France, the reprocessing process of spent fuel is carried out using the Purex process. The first chemical step of this process is the dissolution of the spent fuel in aqueous concentrated nitric acid. This dissolution solution is composed of many oxidizing species and it is necessary to understand the chemistry of these species to apprehend the behavior of structural materials. The redox potential is a useful discriminate variable to differentiate the effect of each species. In this framework, only the effect of NO 3 -/HNO 2 couple and PuO 2 2+ /Pu 4+ couple were investigated. These species were chosen because one is the main couple of medium and the other has a high standard potential. Their influence was investigated from the Nernst's equation.
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