Segregation of components of molten core oxidic materials using cold crucible induction heating technique (Joint research)

Sudo, Ayako ; Mszros, B.*; Sato, Takumi ; Nagae, Yuji 

For the criticality assessment of fuel debris generated by the accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, understanding of the elemental localization in fuel debris is important. Especially, the distribution of Fe and Gd, which may behave as potential neutron absorber materials in the fuel debris, is of particular important from the viewpoint of nuclear criticality safety. To investigate the localization tendency of Gd and Fe in molten core materials during solidification progress, liquefaction/solidification tests on core materials containing UO, ZrO, FeO, GdO, and simulated fission products (MoO, NdO, SrO, and RuO) and concrete (SiO, AlO, and CaO) were performed using cold crucible induction heating technique. During the test, the molten core materials gradually subsided and solidified from the bottom to the top of the melt. Elemental analysis showed that Fe content in the inner region increased approximately up to 3.4 times that in the bottom region. The concentration of Fe into the inner region was observed in all the samples regardless of the initial FeO composition, cooling rates, and phase separation. This suggests that FeO may be concentrated into the low temperature region, where the melt solidified later. In contrast, Gd content in the bottom region increased approximately up to 2.6 times that in the inner region. The concentration of Gd into the bottom region was observed when the initial GdO content was higher than 1 at.%. This suggests that GdO may be concentrated into the earlier solidified region. On the other hand, no significant localization was observed on the simulated fission products.