The radiochemistry of nuclear power plants with light water reactors

739 Pages·1997·26.348 MB·English

by  Neeb, Karl-Heinz

Karl-Heinz Neeb
The Radiochemistry of Nuclear Power Plants with Light Water Reactors

Karl-Heinz Neeb
The Radiochemistry of
Nuclear Power Plants
with Light Water Reactors
With a preface written by Günter Marx
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DE
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Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York 1997
Dr. Karl-Heinz Neeb
Up until his retirement, Dr. Neeb was head of the department for radioactivity and environmental
studies at the Siemens AG nuclear research station in Erlangen, Germany.
This book contains 164 figures and 60 tables.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Neeb, Karl-Heinz.
The radiochemistry of nuclear power plants with light
water reactors / Karl-Heinz Neeb : with a preface written by
Günter Marx,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 3-11-013242-7 (alk. paper)
1. Radiochemistry-Industrial applications. 2. Light water
reactors-Materials. 3. Nuclear power plants. I. Title.
TK9350.N44 1997
621.48'34—dc21 97-31125
CIP
Die Deutsche Bibliothek — Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Neeb, Karl-Heinz:
The radiochemistry of nuclear power plants with light water
reactors / Karl-Heinz Neeb. With a preface written by Günter
Marx. - Berlin ; New York : de Gruyter, 1997
ISBN 3-11-013242-7
© Copyright 1997 by Walter de Gruyter & Co., D-10785 Berlin
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ-
ing photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publisher.
Printed in Germany
Disk conversion and printing: Arthur Collignon GmbH, Berlin, Germany
Binding: Lüderitz & Bauer GbmH, Berlin, Germany
Cover design: Hansbernd Lindemann, Berlin, Germany
Preface
Nuclear power has experienced a breakthrough in those areas of the world which
are expanding drastically in their economic capacity. South-east Asia is the first in
line, together with Japan, and even China is building up advanced technology in
this field. In the USA the overwhelming majority of nuclear power plants are still
in operation, approximately 100 blocks. In Europe, France with 75% of its electric-
ity output being nuclear is the leader in the field, followed by the United Kingdom.
However, in all these countries, one point of interest is central, namely, the safety
issue. The aforementioned appliers of nuclear power have always been aware of
this problem, even before the Tschernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union.
Quite a number of monographs have been written on reactor physics, the vari-
ous reactor types with their structural advantages and disadvantages, on safeguard
models, the probability of hypothetical disastrous events and the handling of radio-
active waste. One topic, however, has been slightly neglected with respect to its
importance in the field of safety problems. This is radiochemistry.
This gap has now been closed by Karl-Heinz Neeb's book: Radiochemistry of
Nuclear Power Plants with Light Water Reactors.
The book has been divided into three main sections: reactor design, radiochem-
istry during normal operation of the plant and radiochemistry under the conditions
of reactor accidents. All three sections are outlined in detail with numerous subti-
tles, reflecting the author's wide knowledge and experience in this field gained
during his long, successful, professional career. The impressive reference list of the
various topics demonstrate the perfect overview he had in this important field of
nuclear science. A great part of the literature was only available to the author due
to his professional status. This book is unique in its kind and should not be missed
by anybody working in the amazing field of reactor chemistry.
It will also be very useful to academics at universities and research centres in
their aim to supply future generations with the necessary scientific background to
cope with the problems yet to be confronted in this highly technological field.
Karl-Heinz Neeb tragically passed away just after having completed this book,
leaving his work as a kind of memorial to the scientific community. He is remem-
bered as a distinguished personality and for his valuable contribution to nuclear
science.
Günter Marx
Free University of Berlin
Radiochemical Division

Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part A
Design of light water reactor nuclear power plants
1 The Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) 5
1.1 Design of Western PWR plants 7
1.1.1 The primary circuit 7
1.1.2 The reactor core 13
1.1.3 The auxiliary and ancillary systems 23
1.1.4 Safety and emergency installations 27
1.2 WER design 31
1.3 PWR coolant chemistry 33
References Chapter 1 42
2 The Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) 43
2.1 Design of Western BWR plants 44
2.1.1 The primary system 44
2.1.2 The reactor core 47
2.1.3 The auxiliary and ancillary systems 50
2.1.4 Safety and emergency installations 51
2.2 RBMK design 51
2.3 BWR coolant chemistry 54
References Chapter 2 57
Part Β
Radiochemistry during normal operation of the plant
3 Radionuclides in the reactor core 59
3.1 Radionuclides in fresh nuclear fuels 60
3.2 Radionuclides in irradiated nuclear fuels 66
3.2.1 Fission product generation and fuel structure 66
3.2.2 Determination of the burnup of nuclear fuel 91
VIII Table of Contents
3.2.3 Chemical state and behavior of the fission products in the fuel . . 93
3.2.3.1 General aspects 93
3.2.3.2 Fission product noble gases 106
3.2.3.3 Halogens and alkali elements Ill
3.2.3.4 Polyvalent fission product elements 122
3.2.3.5 Uranium activation products 124
3.2.3.6 Tritium 125
3.2.3.7 Carbon-14 131
3.2.4 Radionuclides in the fuel pellet — cladding gap 133
3.2.5 Radionuclides in the fuel rod cladding 137
3.2.6 Radionuclides in reactor core components and structural materials 144
3.2.7 Determination of the neutron fluence in reactor core materials . . 151
3.2.7.1 General aspects 151
3.2.7.2 Cobalt monitor 153
3.2.7.3 Iron - manganese monitor 154
3.2.7.4 Nickel — cobalt monitor 155
3.2.7.5 Niobium monitor 156
3.2.7.6 Fission monitors 158
References Chapter 3 159
4 Radionuclides in the coolants of light water reactors during nor-
mal operation 163
4.1 General remarks 163
4.2 Activation products of the coolant, its additives and impurities . . 164
4.2.1 16N, 13N 164
4.2.2 18F 167
4.2.3 3H 168
4.2.4 14C 172
4.2.5 32P and 35S 174
References Section 4.2 176
4.3 Fission products and activation products from the fuel 177
4.3.1 Transport of radionuclides from the fuel to the coolant 177
4.3.1.1 Release of fission products to the coolant during steady-state oper-
ation 183
4.3.1.2 Release from defective fuel rods during reactor transients 197
4.3.1.3 Identification of failed fuel rods 207
4.3.2 Reactions and behavior in the reactor coolant 210
4.3.2.1 PWR primary coolant 210
4.3.2.1.1 Fission product noble gases 210
4.3.2.1.2 Iodine isotopes 215
4.3.2.1.3 Cesium isotopes 221
4.3.2.1.4 Other fission products and activation products from the fuel ... 222
4.3.3 PWR water - steam circuit 227
Table of Contents IX
4.3.4 BWR reactor water 229
4.3.4.1 Fission product noble gases 229
4.3.4.2 Iodine isotopes 229
4.3.4.3 Other fission products and activation products from the fuel . . . 237
References Section 4.3 238
4.4 Activated corrosion products and contamination buildup 241
4.4.1 General aspects 241
References Section 4.4.1 251
4.4.2 Analytical methods applied in contamination buildup studies . . . 252
References Section 4.4.2 263
4.4.3 Contamination buildup in pressurized water reactors 264
4.4.3.1 General aspects 264
4.4.3.2 The sources of the radionuclides 266
4.4.3.3 The behavior of the corrosion product radionuclides in the pri-
mary coolant 286
4.4.3.4 The deposition of radionuclides on the surfaces of the primary
circuit 302
4.4.3.5 Possible countermeasures against contamination buildup 312
4.4.3.6 Modelling PWR contamination buildup 325
4.4.3.7 Contamination by other radionuclides 330
References Section 4.4.3 333
4.4.4 Contamination buildup in boiling water reactors 339
4.4.4.1 General aspects 339
4.4.4.2 The sources of the radionuclides 341
4.4.4.3 The behavior of the corrosion product radionuclides in the BWR
reactor water 350
4.4.4.4 The deposition of radionuclides on the surfaces 356
4.4.4.5 Possible countermeasures against BWR contamination buildup . . 364
4.4.4.6 Modelling BWR contamination buildup 372
References Section 4.4.4 373
4.5 Decontamination in nuclear power plants 376
4.5.1 General aspects 376
4.5.2 Decontamination procedures 380
4.5.2.1 Non-chemical decontamination procedures 381
4.5.2.2 Chemical decontamination procedures 382
4.5.2.3 Electrochemical decontamination procedures 387
4.5.3 Decontamination applications 390
4.5.4 Recontamination of decontaminated surfaces 399