Measurement of uranium and fission products in a spent fuel sample using fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Batsaikhan, M.; Oba, Hironori*; Karino, Takahiro ; Akaoka, Katsuaki ; Wakaida, Ikuo*; Iwata, Yoshihiro   ; Sakamoto, Kan*

This study presents the development and application of a fiber optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system designed for remote, in situ analysis of nuclear fuel debris at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). The system was deployed for the first time in a hot cell under high radiation to analyse an actual Boiling Water Reactors spent fuel sample as an exemplar of FDNPS fuel debris. The system successfully identified the main fuel components along with several long lived fission products and related markers such as Sr, Cs, Mo, Ba, and Rb. The emission intensity of the Ba, Rb, and Cs near the periphery region was slightly higher than at the center of the fuel. This indicates a higher concentration of these elements in that area.