Lascola Robert, O'Rourke Patrick E, Immel David M
Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC 29803, USA.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Jan 18;24(2):607. doi: 10.3390/s24020607.
The processing of spent nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials is a critical component of nuclear material management with implications for global security. The first step of fuel processing is dissolution, with several charges of fuel sequentially added to a batch of solvent. The incomplete dissolution of a charge precludes the addition of the next charge. As the dissolution takes place in a heated, highly corrosive and radiological vessel, direct monitoring of the process is not possible. We discuss the use of Raman spectroscopy to indirectly monitor dissolution through an analysis of the gaseous emissions from the dissolver. Challenges associated with the implementation of Raman spectroscopy include the composition and physical characteristics of the offgas stream and the impact of operating conditions. Nonetheless, we observed that NO concentrations serve as a reliable indicator of process activity and correlate to the amount of fuel material that remains undissolved. These results demonstrate the promise of the method for monitoring nuclear material dissolution.
乏核燃料及其他核材料的处理是核材料管理的关键组成部分，对全球安全具有重要意义。燃料处理的第一步是溶解，将几批燃料依次添加到一批溶剂中。一批燃料未完全溶解会妨碍下一批燃料的添加。由于溶解过程发生在加热的、具有高腐蚀性和放射性的容器中，无法直接监测该过程。我们讨论了使用拉曼光谱法通过分析溶解器排放的气体来间接监测溶解过程。实施拉曼光谱法面临的挑战包括废气的成分和物理特性以及操作条件的影响。尽管如此，我们观察到一氧化氮浓度可作为过程活性的可靠指标，并且与未溶解的燃料材料量相关。这些结果证明了该方法在监测核材料溶解方面的前景。
