SOVIET ATOMIC ENERGY VOL. 40, NO. 3

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• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2013
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: September 1, 1976
• Content Type: REPORT

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_
Russian Original Vol. 40, No. 3, March, 1976
September, 1976
SATEAZ 40(3) 243-348 (1976)
SOVIET
ATOMIC
ENERGY
ATOMHAfi 3HEP110111
(ATOMNAYA iNERGIYA)
TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN
CONSULTANTS BUREAU, NEW YORK
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SOVIET
ATOMIC
ENERGY
Saviet Atomic Energy is abstracted or in-
dexed ,in'Applied Mechanics Reviews, Chem-
ical Abstracts, Engineering Index, INSPEC? '
Physics Abstracts and Electrical and Elec- ?
tronics Abstracts, Current Contents, and
Nuclear Science Abstracts.
Soviet Atomic Energy is a cover-to-cover translation of AtomnaYa
' -Energiya, a publication of the Academy of Sciences Of the USSR.
An agreement with the Copyright Agency of the USSR (VAAP)
makes available both advance copies of the Russian journal and
original glossy Photographs and artwork. This serves to decrease
/the necessary time lag between publication of the original and
publication of the translation and helps to improve the quality
of the, latter. The translation began with the first issue of the
Russian jouTal.
,
Editorial Board of -Atomnaye Energiya:"
Editor: M. D. Millionshchikov
Deputy Director
I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy
Academy of Sciences Of the USSR ?
Moscow, USSR
k, t
/ -
Associate Editor: N. A. Viesov
A. A. BochNiar
N. A. Dollezhal'
V. S'.,Fursov
I. N. Golovin
V. F. Kalinin
A. Krasin
V. V. Matveev
M. G. Meshcheryakov
V. B. Shevchenko
V. I. Smirnov
A. P. Zefirov
_
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SOVIET ATOMIC ENERGY
A translation of Atomnaya Energiya
September, 1976
Volume 40, Number 3 March, 1976
CONTENTS
ARTICLES
Gas-Phase Composition in the Fuel Rods at Novyi Voronezh Nuclear Power Station
- A. T. Ageenkov, A. A. Buravtsov, E. M. Valuev, L. I. Golubev, Z. V. Ershova,
Engl./Russ.
V. V. Kravtsev, and A. F. Skvoev
243
203
Spatial Nonuniformity of Fuel Burnup in VVER Reactors - L. I. Golubev,
L. I. Gorobtsov, G. A. Kulakov, V. D. Simonov, and M. A. Sunchagashev
247
207
Observation of Vacant Porosity in Metals upon Their Irradiation by Accelerated Iron
Ions - G. N. Flerov, V. S. Barashenkov, S. Ya. Lebedev, G. N. Akap'ev,
V. E. Dubinskii, V. G. Rodionova, S. I. Rudnev, and S. Ya. Surkov
251
211
ELV-1 Electron Accelerator for Industrial Use - G. I. Budker, V. A. Gaponov,
B. M. Korabeltnikov, G. S. Krainov, S. A. Kuznetsov, N. K. Kuksanov,
V. I. Kondrat'ev, and R. A. Salimov
256
216
Grazing Scattering of Fast Electrons by the Surface of a Solid - V. I. Boiko,
V. V. Evstigneev, B. A. Kononov, A. L. Plotnikov, and E. A. Gorbachev
261
221
Microdosithetric Determination of Radiation Quality Factors - I. V. Filyushkin
267
227
The Development of Gamma-Resonance (Mossbauer) Spectroscopy in the Soviet Union
- I. P. Suzdalev
274
234
New Books from Atomizdat
280
239
DEPOSITED ARTICLES
Dynamics of Transmission of High-Frequency Power during Magnetosonic Heating
of a Plasmd_in a Tokamak
281
240
Applicability of the Method of-Magnetosonic Heating for Thermonuclear Parameters
of a Plasma in a Tokamak
282
241
Method of Correction of Macroscopic Constants of Fast Systems Based on Results
of Individual Experiments - Yu. Yu. Vasil'ev, V. N. Gurin, and B. G. Dubovskii .
283
242
Optimal Electron-Positron Conversion at High Energies - V. A. Tayurskii
284
242
Calculation of Released Energy and Total Trak Lengths of Charged Particles
in Showers in Xenon,- M. Ya. Borkovskii and S. P. Kruglov
284
243
LETTERS_
Moments of Neutron Density Distribution Functions - A. A. Kostritsa and E. I. Neimotin
286
244
Efficiency of a Scintillation Gamma Detector in ran Isotropic Radiating Medium
- Yu, A. Sapozhnikov, V. A. Lopatin, and V. P. Ovcharenko
289
246
Single-Channel Alpha Spectrometer for Measurement of Radon Daughter Product
Concentrations - N. I. Antipin, Yu. V. Kuznetsov, and L. S. Ruzer
291
247
Algorithm for Monte-Carlo Simulation of Compton Scattering Including Gamma-Ray
Polarization - N. L. Kuchin, K. K. Popkov, and I. N. Trofimov
293
249
Semiconductor Radiometer-Spectrometer for Measurement of Surface Contamination
by Alpha-Radioactive Materials - V. A. Manchuk and A. A. Petushkov
295
250
An Apparatus for Assaying Helium in Constructional Materials - A. I. Dashkovskii,
A. G. Zaluzhnyi, D. M. Skorov, 0. M. Sorozhuk, and M. V. Cherednichenko-
Alchevskii
297
251
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Surface Blister Bursting? B. A. Kahn, N. M. Kirilin, A. A. Pisarev, D. M. Skorov,
CONTENTS
(continued)
Engl./Russ.
V. G. TePkovskii, S. K. Fedyaev, and G. N. Shishkin
299
252
Temperature Dependence of Erosion of Stainless Steels under Ionic Bombardment
? A. D. Gurov, B. A. Kahn, N. M. Kirilin, A. A. Pisarev, D. M. Skorov,
V. G. TePkovskii, S. K. Fedyaev, and G. N. Shishkin
301
254
Diffusion Coefficients and Solubility of Vanadium, Niobium, and Cerium in Beryllium
? V. M. Anan'in, V. P. Gladkov, A. V. Svetlov, D. M. Skorov, and V. I. Tenishev ? ?
304
256
Diffusion and Solubility of Aluminum in Beryllium ? V. P. Gladkov, A. V. Svetlov,
D. M. Skorov, V. I. Tenishev, and A. N. Shabalin
306
257
Relative Measurements of the Spectral Characteristics of Neutron Distributions
by the Activation Ratios Method? R. D. VasiDev, E. I. Grigor'ev, and V. P. Yarnya
308
259
Monte Carlo Solution of Gamma?Gamma Logging Problems for Large Distances
from the Source ? R. T. Khamatdinov
311
260
COMECON CHRONICLES
Symposium on "The Drawing-Up of Apparatus Systems of Nuclear Instrument Making
for Laboratory and Industrial Applications ? A. S. Tuchina
314
263
Comecon Collaboration Notes
316
264
INFORMATION
50 Years of Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the SSSR,A.M.Baldin
? N. N. Bogolyubov, A. A. Kuznetsov, and I. N. Semenyushkin
318
265
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
Seminar on the Operating Cycles of Nuclear Power Stations ? B. B. Baturov,
0. M. Glazkov, and R. R. Ionaitis
320
266
International Symposium on Gas-Cooled Reactors ? I. Kh. Ganev
323
267
The Soviet? French Seminar on Water-Cooled/Water-Moderated Power Reactors
? V. P. Denisov
326
269
Symposium on the Transplutonium Elements ? K. Shvetsovii
328
270
IAEA Symposium on the Natural Nuclear Reactor at Oklo ? V. A. Pchelkin
330
271
Conference of the International Committee on Nuclear Data ? G. B. Yan'kov
332
272
All-Union Conference on the Application of Charged-Particle Accelerators
in the National Economy ? 0. A. Gusev
334
273
2nd International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry ? Yu. N. Tumanov
336
274
3rd International Conference on the Measurement of Low Levels of Radioactivity
and Their Application ? A. K. Lavrukhina
339
275
All-Union Seminar on the Radiation Stability of Organic Materials ? Yu. Ya. Shavarin ?
341
277
NEW FACILITIES
A Facility for Producing a Beam of Electrons with Energies of up to 250 KeV
and with a Power of Up to 1000 kW? M. M. Brovin, A. A. Bushuev, V. A. Gapanov,
A. I. Grishehenko, S. S. Zhukovskii, V. E. Nekhaev, V. S. Nikolaev,V.V.Ryazanov,
R. A. Salimov, E. P. Semenov, and A. F. Serov
342
277
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. I. Moskvin, Coordination Chemistry of the Actinides ? Reviewed by A. M. Rozen .
343
278
V. M. Gorbachev, Yu. S. Zamyatnin, and A. A. Lbov, The Principal Characteristics
of Isotopes of the Heavy Elements ? Reviewed by N. A. Vlasov
345
278
A. P. Zimon. Decontamination? Reviewed by 0. M. Zaraev
346
279
The Russian press date (podpisano k pechati) of this issue was 2/25/1976.
Publication therefore did not occur prior to this date, but must be assumed
to have taken place reasonably soon thereafter.
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ARTICLES
GAS-PHASE COMPOSITION IN THE FUEL RODS AT
NOVYI VORONEZH NUCLEAR POWER STATION
A. T. Ageenkov, A. A. Buravtsov,
E. M. Valuev, L. I. Golubev,
Z. V. Ershova, V. V. Kravtsev,
and A. F. Skvoev
UDC 621.039
Gaseous and volatile fission products (krypton, xenon, tritium, and iodine) may be released from a
nuclear fuel and penetrate into the volume of the fuel-free rod. The amount and composition of the gas are
of interest from the viewpoint of fuel rod operation and subsequent fuel processing. Particular attention
here is needed to the radioisotopes tritium, 95Kr, 1291, and 1311.
We examined pins from two cassettes in the second section of this power station, which had worked,
respectively, for 190 and 500 effective days at specific powers of 155 and 142 W/cm and which had been
allowed to cool for two years and one year, respectively. We took pins from rows III and IV in the sets.
The mean burnup factors were 7500 and 19,100 MW-days/ton U, respectively. The calculated
amounts of tritium and 99Kr, corrected for decay, were respectively 0.1 ? 0.01 and 2.1 ? 0.2 Ci/pin for
the first set and 0.24 ? 0.02 and 5.3 ? 0.4 Ci/pin for the second set.
The method consisted of piercing the sheath and determining the gas composition. First of all, the
sets of pins were mechanically dismantled, the sheaths were checked for sealing, and the burnup factors
were determined for the individual pins, for which purpose 7 scanning was used to measure the 137Cs con-
tent. The measured burnup differed from the calculated value by not more than 20%. The sheath was
pierced at a distance of 80 mm from the lower end of the pin in a hot cell using a sealed piercer (Fig. 1),
TABLE 1. Trapped Gas Sampling
Collection conditions
Number of pins in (1st and 2nd cassettes)
48*
61 72
73
as
48+
61 72
73 85
After piercing
sheath
Zeolite trap
+
? ?
-F
?
+
?
?
+
-I-
Manganese reactor
?
?
?
-I-
?
?
+
-I-
?
?
Flushing at:
40-50?C
No.of flushing cycles
2
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
Flushing time, h
?'5
0,5
"
0,3
0' 8
?'7
12
0,3
0,5
6,1,5
0,3
1,0
1,0
Flushing with
heat treat-
ment (200.C)
Zeolite trap
?
-I-
-I-
?
?
?
+
-I-
?
?
Manganese reactor
?
?
??
4-
?
?
?
?
?
Flushing time, h
10
10
16
16
?
10
10
16
16
*No heat treatment; + and - denote trap and reactor present or absent.
Translated from Atomnaya Energiya, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 203-206, March, 1976. Original article
submitted August 28, 1975.
?1976 Plenum Publishing Corporation, 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. A copy of this article is available from the publisher for $15.00.
243
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Fig. 1
100
90
80
70
60
50
;..", 40
30
TO
10
Sheath ?Flushing,
pierced 'no heatin
Flushing, heating to 200?C
O-T2o
Fig. 2
- Kr
A.4,0
- T2
Fig. 1. The sealed pin opener: 1) fuel pin; 2) shaft with bellows seal; 3) puncture
needle; 4) handle; 5) pressure nut; 6) vacuum insert; 7) body.
Fig. 2. Distribution of 99Kr, tritium, and tritiated water by operations.
which was heated to 100-120?C. The cavity in the pin opener was connected by a metal pipe to the gas
effluent system in the working space. The gas from the opener was passed either through a zeolite ab-
sorber for water or else bypassed the absorber and went to a manganese reducer; the connecting pipe be-
tween the opener and the hydrogen generator was heated. The gas effluent system was fitted with a mer-
cury pump, a rotary vacuum pump, gauges, and standard tubes. The pipework and working sections were
evacuated to less than 0.1 mm Hg before piercing the pin. Gas was pumped into an ampoule by a mercury
pump down to a pressure of 1 mm Hg, which corresponded to collecting over 95% of the gas. More com-
plete gas recovery was provided by flushing the spaces with ordinary hydrogen at room temperature and at
elevated temperatures. Hydrogen flushing without heating (pin temperatures of 40-50?C) was performed
directly in the opener. The gas release at elevated temperatures was examined in an oven having 12 sealed
3-m channels (Table 1).
The gas was analyzed with an apparatus consisting of a KhL-3 gas chromatograph, a 5-cm3 volume
proportional counter containing a tungsten wire of diameter 50 p, and appropriate electronic equipment.
A 1-ml volume gas sample was introduced into the chromatograph; the 3-m-length column contained
CaA zeolite at 50?C, and the carrier-gas flow rate of 30 cm3/min provided for separation of helium, hydro-
gen, krypton, and xenon, which were then passed sequentially through the proportional counter, which re-
corded the radioactivity due to the tritium and 85Kr. Propane was supplied at a flow, rate of 8 cm3/min to
the counter to provide for stable operation. The limits of detection for tritium and 99Kr at the ?15% level
were 10-9 Ci, while the corresponding limits for helium and hydrogen were 0.002 ml, and for the stable
isotopes of krypton and xenon 0.03 ml/sample. The system was calibrated periodically on a standard gas
mixture: He, H2, tritium, and 85Kr.
Checks were done immediately before the apparatus was set up in the hot cell; the equivalent was
fitted with tubes containing gaseous tritium, tritiated water, and 99Kr. The method collected 100% of the
gaseous tritium and krypton and over 95% of the tritiated water. Tables 2 and 3 and Fig. 2 show the re-
sults with the irradiated pins. The total amount of gas was 14.5-21.1 cm3. The chromatograph revealed
helium and hydrogen in the gas. The helium constituted 65-95% by volume, and the hydrogen less than
32%. The contents of other stable isotopes were less than the limit of detection. Quantitative determina-
tions were made for tritium and 85Kr amongst the radioisotopes. Also, the counter detected a low activity
(1 -10-7-1.2 .10-6 Ci/pin) of a gaseous compound, whose time of emergence lay between those for nitrogen
and krypton. It was assumed that this compound was tritiated methane, but a check failed to confirm this.
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TABLE 2. Amounts and Compositions of Gases in Pins
Content per pin
Number of pins in 1st and 2nd cassettes
48
61
72
73
85
48
61
72
73
I 85
Total gas cm3
19,5
16,3
14,8
24,8
14,5
16,6
16,9
18,1
25,2
17,3
Helium, vol.?10
82
89
85
65
95
95
90
91
84
83
H2, V01./0
15
11
15
32
Notobs.
Notobs.
10
9
15
Not abs.
Gaseous tritium, Ci? 10-7
1,2
2,8
4,1
3,9
0,7
4,1
2,8
3,1
5,6
2,0
Tritiated water, Ci?10- 7
1,2
540
540
2000
2000
16
660
680
2400
2400
85Kr, Ci ? 10-3
2,7
1,8
3,0
3,5
3,4
1,9
2,3
3,4
5,4
11,0
The amounts of tritium and 85Kr are of the most interest, along with the form of the tritium. The
form taken by tritium in oxide fuel rods has not been discussed in the literature. The radiochromatograms
indicated that the tritium is present in the gaseous state and as water. The gaseous tritium was identified
from a comparison of the standard and sample gases. Water is a simple compound of hydrogen capable of
being sorbed on solids at ordinary temperatures and being desorbed on heating. Figure 2 and Table 2 show
that the gas collected on piercing the pins without heating contained mainly gaseous tritium (7.0.10-8-
4.1 -10-1 Ci), no matter whether the zeolite absorber was used or the manganese device. The first batch
of gas at 40-50?C contains almost all the gaseous tritium, 58% of the krypton, and only 0.3% of the tritiated
water. Flushing with hydrogen without heating yielded 4-13% of the krypton and about 1% T20. Heating a
pin to 200?C produced a considerable release of T20 (76% in the first three cycles) and also of krypton
(23%). Subsequently (cycles 4-7), the release of 85Kr remained at the background level (0.4-0.7%), while
the T20 continued to be released (5-7% per cycle). As there was a decreasing yield of tritiated water,
one can assume that at this stage we had collected not less than 70% of the tritium sorbed as water in the
fuel. A higher temperature is required to release the tritiated water completely.
The amounts of tritium and 85Kr go with the calculated values to indicate that the gas from these pins
contains only small proportions of these isotopes (0.12-0.27 and 0.06-0,28%, respectively). The fuel re-
leases only a low proportion of the volatile fission products because of the comparatively low temperature
during irradiation. It has been reported [1, 2] that the release becomes appreciable at the growth tem-
perature for columnar UO2 crystals (above 1600?C). The temperatures of the fuel pins at this power station
were much lower (less than 1400-1500?C) because it has been found [3] that there were no columnar grains
on examining the fuel rods.
The composition of the gas phase has thus been examined for these fuel pins for burnup factors of
7500 and 19,000 MW-day/ton U. The amount of gas in a pin is 14.5-21.1 cm' NTP (95% confidence range).
The main components by volume are helium (65-95%) and ordinary hydrogen (less than 32%). The radio-
isotopes were 85Kr and tritium in gaseous form and as water, the latter being the main form of tritium in
these pins (99%). Unheated pins (40-50?C) released 2-8 -10-4% of the tritium and 0.04-0.13% of the 851(r;
TABLE 3. Yields of Gaseous Fission Products in Gas from VVER Pins at 200?C
Fission products
Mean (R)
SD
950/o confidence range
Vz (xl-x)2
S
=
n - 1
Gas volume:
cm3 per 1 pin
18,4
3,8
14,5