Investigation of effects of ray irradiation on pyrolysis properties of glove-box panel materials

Abe, Hitoshi ; Watanabe, Koji; Uchiyama, Gunzo 

The glove box (GB) is the equipment with some kinds of plastic components which is used for the containment of the radioactive material. In the MOX fuel fabrication facility, MOX is also handled in the GB. Since the plastic panel, which has the largest area of the GB, is used in the long period, it is exposed to high dose from MOX continuously. In this study, to confirm that containment capability of GB can be maintained even under external thermal stress, effect of the -ray irradiation with Co on the pyrolysis properties of the common panel materials which were obtained by TG-DTA has been investigated. As a result, polymethylmethacrylate showed the large peak of mass loss rate at about 260 degrees under the non-irradiation and air condition but it separated into lower and higher temperature sides above 25 kGy. The effect was not observed up to 10 kGy for polymethylmethacrylate, and up to 880 kGy for polycarbonate. By comparing with the estimated total dose of which GB panel would be irradiated in the operation period, it was found that the irradiation from MOX does not have significant effect on the pyrolysis properties of GB panel in the actual facility.