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ORNL-4191 - the Molten Salt Energy Technologies Web Site

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188<br />

Fig. 15.8. Inner Surface of Core Shell in Contact with Graphite Core of In-Pile Loop 2. 250~.<br />

These equations permit <strong>the</strong> calculation of activity<br />

if flux is given, or of flux if activity has been<br />

measured.<br />

The Ys F term is <strong>the</strong> chain production rate at a<br />

given flux or power density for <strong>the</strong> quantity of<br />

material under consideration. It was useful to<br />

treat <strong>the</strong> Y. F term in <strong>the</strong> case of fissioning as a<br />

product of fission yield Y, a standard fission<br />

rate F" per gram of uranium (at a given flux), a<br />

uranium inventory for <strong>the</strong> interval j (from salt<br />

inventory actually under irradiation, w ., times<br />

I<br />

uranium concentration U .), and <strong>the</strong> irradiation<br />

I<br />

intensity factors, p. and q., relative to full re-<br />

1 1<br />

actor power and fully inserted position. Thus for<br />

any set of intervals, for example,<br />

-A, * t -A .t<br />

- (1-e 'j). (e ' dj)<br />

A similar expression can be written for <strong>the</strong><br />

daughter isotope (such as <strong>the</strong> 35-day 5Nb daughter<br />

of 65-day "Zr).<br />

The term on <strong>the</strong> right may be computed for any<br />

given isotope from a knowledge of decay rate,<br />

irradiation, and inventory history. The term on<br />

<strong>the</strong> left represents <strong>the</strong> count to be expected,<br />

divided by <strong>the</strong> saturation value from 1 g of uranium<br />

at full power.<br />

In practice, <strong>the</strong> total loop inventory was corrected<br />

for <strong>the</strong> amount of salt not under irradiation,<br />

at <strong>the</strong> time, in sample lines and <strong>the</strong> purge tank.<br />

The activity withdrawn with each removal and that<br />

remaining in <strong>the</strong> loop were calculated. The total<br />

activity (at reference time) of a given isotope<br />

produced during <strong>the</strong> experiment was thus estimated.<br />

As mentioned in an earlier section, it appears<br />

reasonable to use <strong>the</strong> activities of certain fission<br />

products in <strong>the</strong> salt samples, in particular 37Cs,<br />

'44Ce, and "Zr, as internal standards to estimate<br />

<strong>the</strong> flux. A mean flux to <strong>the</strong> salt of 0.88 x<br />

10' was thus estimated from activities measured

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