Chemical and Isotopic Characterization of Noble Metal Phase from Commercial UO2Fuel

Kristi L. Pellegrini, Chuck Z. Soderquist, Steve D. Shen, Eirik J. Krogstad, Camille J. Palmer, Kyzer R. Gerez, Edgar C. Buck, Timothy G. Lach, Jon M. Schwantes, Richard A. Clark

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report elemental and isotopic analysis for the noble metal fission product phase found in irradiated nuclear fuel. The noble metal phase was isolated from three commercial irradiated UO2 fuels by chemically dissolving the UO2 fuel matrix, leaving the noble metal phase as the undissolved residue. Macro amounts of this residue were dissolved using a KOH + KNO3 fusion and then chemically separated into individual elements for analysis by mass spectrometry. Though the composition of this phase has been previously reported, this work is the most comprehensive chemical analysis of the isolated noble metal phase to date. We report both elemental and isotopic abundances of the five major components of the noble metal phase (Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd). In addition, we report a sixth element present in high quantities in this phase, tellurium. Tellurium appears to be an integral component of noble metal particles.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6522-6529
Number of pages8
JournalAnalytical Chemistry
Volume91
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - May 21 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Analytical Chemistry

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