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ORNL-NUREG-TM-12.txt
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any warianty, express oramphed. Or assumoes any 'egalhability Grresponainiity forthe
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ORNL/NUREG/TM-12
Dist. Category UC-11
Contract No. W-7405-eng-26
CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
CARBON-14 PRODUCTION IN NUCLEAR REACTORS
Wallace Davis, Jr.
Manuscript Completed: January 1977
Date Published: February 1977
Prepared for the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Nuclear Material Safely & Safeguards
Under Interagency Agreement ERDA 40-549-75
Prepared by the
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
operated by
UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION
for the
ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
CARBON-14 PRODUCTION IN NUCLEAR REACTORS
W, Davis, Jr.
ABSTRACT
Quantities of "*C that may be formed in the fuel and core structural materials of
light-water~cooled reactors {(L.WRs), in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs),
and in liquid-metal-cooled fast breeder reactors (LMEFBRs) have been calculated by use
of the ORIGEN code.' Information supplied by five L. WR-fuel manufacturers pertaining
to nitride nitrogen and’ gaseous nitrogen in their fuels and fuel-rod void spaces was used
in these calculations. Average nitride nitrogen values range from 3 to 50 ppm (by
weight) in LWR fuels, whereas gaseous nitrogen in one case is equivalent to an
additional 10 to 16 ppm. Nitride nitrogen concentrations in fast-flux test facility
(FFTF) fuels are 10 to 20 ppm. The principal reactions that produce “C involve N,
Y0, and (in the HTGR) "C. Reference reactor burnups are 27,500 MWd per metric ton
of uranium (MTU) for boiling water reactors (BWRs), 33,000 MWd for pressunized
water reactors (PWRs), about 95,000 MWd per metric ton of heavy metal (MTHM) for
HTGRs, and 24,800 MWd/MTHM for an LMFBR with nuclear parameters that pertain
to the Clinch River Breeder Reactor. Nitride nitrogen, at 3 median concentration of
25 ppm, contributes 4, 15, and 6 Ci of "C/GW{c)yr to BWR, PWR, and LMFBR
fuels. respectively. The contribution of 'O in BWR and PWR fuels is 3.3 and 3.5 Ci of
"CIGW(e)-yr, respectively, but it is Jess than 0.2 Ci/ GW(e)-yr, in blended LMFBR fuel.
In the HTGR fuel particles (UC: or ThO.), 10 Ci of "C) GW(e)-yr will be formed from
25 ppm of nitrogen, whereas 'O in the Th{: will contribute an additional
2 Ci/GW(e)yr. Ali 'C contained in the fuels may be released in a gas mixture (CO,,
CO, CHa, ete)) during fuel dissolution at the fuel reprocessing plants. However, some
small fraction may remain in aqueous raffinates and will not be released until these are
converted to solids. The gases would be released from the plant unless special equipment
is installed to retain the "“C-bearing gases.
Cladding metals and other core hardware will contain significant quantities of ",
Very little of this will be released from BWR, PWR, and LMFBR hardware at fuel
reprocessing plants; instead, the contained B30 to 60 Ci/GW(e)-yr for LWRs and
about 13 Cif GW(e}-yr for a CRBR, will remain within the metal, which will be retained
on site or in a Federal repository. The only core structural material of HTGRs will be
graphite, which will contain 37 to 190 Ci of "/ GW{e)-yr, exclusive of that in the fuel
particles, if the graphite (fuel block and reflector block) initially contains 0 to 30 ppm of
nitrogen. All of this is available for release at a fuel reprocessing plant if the graphite is
burned to release the fuel particles for further processing. Special equipment could be
installed to retain the "“C-bearing gases.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The radioactive nuclide '“C is, and will be, formed in all nuclear reactors due to absorption of
neutrons by carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen. These may be present as components of the fuel,
moderator, or structural hardware, or they may be present as impuirities. Most of the “C formed in
the fuels or in the graphite of HTGRs will be converted to a gaseous form at the fuel reprocessing
plant, primarily as carbon dioxide; this will be released to the environment unless special equipment
is installed to collect it and convert it to a solid for essentially permanent storage. If the "“C is
released as carbon dioxide or in any other chemical form, it will enter the biosphere, be inhaled or
ingested as food by nearly all living organisms including man, and will thus contribute to the
radiation burden of these organisms. Carbon-14 is formed naturally by reaction of neutrons of
cosmic ray origin in the upper atmosphere with nitrogen and, to a lesser extent, with oxygen and
carbon. Large amounts of '“C have also been formed in the atmosphere as a result of nuclcar
weapons explosions.
For the last two decades, the quantities of '*C in the environment, and the mechanisms of
transfer of this nuclide between the atmosphere, land biota, and the shallow and deep seas have been
the subject of many research studies.”” These studies have shown that most of the "*C is actually
contained in the deep oceans, at depths greater than 100 m. The nuclear weapons tests increased the
total '*C inventory of the earth by only a few percent,’ but the atmospheric content was
approximately doubled. Since atmospheric weapons tests are no longer being conducted, the
atmospheric concentration of '*C is now decreasing as it enters the oceans as CO; and is
approaching the pretest value,
Some estimates of the amounts of "“C released from or formed in LWRs, " HTGR,"""* and
LMFBR" have been made previously on the basis of calculations or measurements. The purpose of
this report is to present detailed estimates of the production of '“C with emphasis on those pathways
that are likely to lead to the release of this nuclide, cither at the reactor site or at the fuel
reprocessing plant.
2.0 MECHANISMS OF CARBON-14 FORMATION IN NUCLEAR REACTORS
Carbon-i4 1s formed from five reactions of neutrons with isotopes of elements that are normal
or impurity components of fuel, structural materials, and the cooling water of LWRs, The
cutron-induced reactions are as follows:
I
(1) "C(n,y"C;
(2} "N@,p)"C;
3) "N@.d)"C;
(4) "O(n,'He)"'C;
(5) "Om,a} C.
In these reactions, standard notation has been used in which n refers to a neutron, p to a proton, d
to a deuteron ("H), and v to a gamma ray. Reactions 4 and 5 will occur in any reactor containing
heavy-metal oxide fuels and/or water as the coolant. Reaction | will be important only in the
HTGRs, while reactions 2 and 3 will occur in all reactors containing nitrogen as an impurity in the
fuel, coolant, or structural materials.
To facilitate calculations, the energy-dependent cross sections of nuclear reactions are typically
collapsed into a single, effective cross section that applies 1o the neutron spectrum of the reactor in
guestion. Such collapsed values are known with fairly good accuracies for reactions 1, 2, and 5 for
the thermal-neutron spectra of LWRs and HTGRs. Values listed in Table | for the BWR, PWR,
and HTGR are taken from the ORIGEN library' and its update'® according to the latest version of
the “Barn Book.”!” Because reactions 3 and 4 are highly endothermic, their cross sections are
assumed to be 0.0 in thermal reactors, as shown in Table I. Unfortunately, some of these cross
sections for the LMFBR are very uncertain. The following discussion concerning cross sections of
reactions 1-5, as they apply to the Clinch River Breeder Reactor (CRBR), has been provided by
A. G. Croff.™
Reaction | " Cn,v)"C
The cross section for this reaction is not well known for nonthermal neutron energies. The
assumed values were taken from ref. 19, in which the *C(n,y) cross section was calculated on the
bases of a few experimental data and nuclear systematics. The cross section obtained when the data
are collapsed to a single value using the CRBR neutron spectrum 15 0.5 ub (I ub = (0™ barns). The
fact that the thermal "C(n,¥) cross section is only about 1 mb (Table 1) couplied with the fact that
cross sections in the nonthermal energy regions are considerably smaller than thermal cross sections
tends to confirm that the 0.5 ub value is realistic.
Reaction 2 “N(n,p)"'C
Of the five ""C-producing reactions listed, this is the only one for which the experimental data
may be considered adequate. Energy dependent cross-section data for the *N(n,p)"*C reaction are
available from the ENDF/B"® compilation. Collapsing these data with the CRBR spectrum gives a
cross section of 12.6 mb, with an estimated error of +30%.
Heaction 3 lS!\/’(n,af}MC
The only cross-section data available for this reaction are some sketchy information on the
angular distribution of the deuterons when the neutrons have energies of 14 to 15 MeV., This
information, coupled with the fact that the reaction is endothermic (Q = -7.99 MeV), would
probably lead to a value of the reaction rate in the 0.00 to 0.1 mb range. However, for
calculational purposes, a value of 1.0 mb was used.
Reaction 4 'O, He)"' C
Of the five reactions considered, the data for this reaction are by far the least well-known. It is
highly endothermic (Q = -14.6 MeV), indicating that greater neutron energies are required for the
teble 1. Cross sections for formation and yields of *¢ in BWR, PWR, HTGR, and LMFER®
140 Tormation
Reaction Cross section for formation of 14¢ in (curiesAper gram of parent element)
No. Reaction BWR PWR HTGR IMFBR BWR PAR HTGR IMFER
1 Y20(n,v) e 1.00 mp 1.00 mb 0.416 mb 0.5 ub 1.51E-7 1.618-7 3.388-7 4. 81E-9
(3.69E+0)
2 N (n,p)*4C .48 v 1.48 b 1.02 12.6 mb 1.718-2 1.83E-2 3.84E-2 9.668-3
3 *Bn(n,a)t%c 0 0 0 1.0 mb 0 0 0 2.855.6
4 180(n,%He )2 4 0 0 0 0.05 b 0 0 0 3.82E-8
(4.53E-2)°
5 Y70(n,*Re ) % 0.183 0.183 v 0.110 b 0.12 mb 7-31E-T7 0 T.75E-7 . 1.79E-6 3. 4oE-8
(1.01E-1)" (0.878-2)" (2.25p-1)¢ (4.03E-2)C
aAll of tne valuves in this table woere obtained by collapsing available neutron cross-section data to a
single value, using neurvon spectra of the individual reactors, as discussed by 8el1.1 These values
are mnot ecual to 2200-m/sec cross sections, such asg 0.9 mb, 1.81 b, and 0.235 b for reactions 1, 2,
and 5, respectiveiy.
b . . . , .
Based on 10.93 MT of carbon/MTEM where HM = thorium pius uranium,
CBased on 8383 g-at. of oxygen/MTHM where EM = uranium or uranium plus plutonium, present as UO2 and
Pu0
& 2 -
Based on 2.9094 MT of thorium/MTHM with +thorium oresent as ThO2 and uranium as UC.
reaction to proceed. Information supplied by the Physics Division of Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory indicates that the cross section at 15 MeV should be less than | mb, and at 20 MeV it
should be less than 10 mb. By combining these “guesstimates™ with the CRBR spectrum and a
theoretical expression for the availability of high-energy fission neutrons, the reaction cross section
is estimated to be about 0.05 ub. The lack of information on both the high-energy cross sections and
the high-energy neutron spectrum makes this value very uncertain,
Reaction 5 " Ofn,a)"*C
As with reaction 1, the cross-section data for this reaction are not well known. The data, which
again are based on only a few experiments and nuclear systematics, were taken from ref. 19. The
cross section, which is calculated and based on the CRBR spectrum, is 0.12 mb.
The assumed LMFBR fuel model was the Atomics International Follow-On Design. Initial
concentrations of the isotopes of importance in this case (in g-atoms/ MTHM) are:
12
’C 33.33
"¢ 0.374
"N 1.42
"N 0.00528
"*Q 8383.
"0 3.27
0 17.2
The ORIGEN code' is not capable of explicitly accounting for (n,d) or (n,'He) reactions. This
difficulty may be circumvented by combining reaction 4 with reaction 5 and reaction 3 with
reaction 2, since the naturally occurring isctopes are present in a fixed ratio for each element.
Alternatively, since the depletion of the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen is relatively small (<<2%j). the
calculation is easily performed by hand.
3.0 CARBON-14 FORMATION IN LIGHT-WATER REACTORS
Carbon-14 is formed in the fuel (UQ2), in core structural materials, and in the cooling water of
L.WRs.
3.1 Formation in the Fuel
Carbon-14 will be formed primarily by two reactions in the fuel: "O(n,a)"'C and “N(n,p)"'C.
The quantity of "*C formed from the first of these reactions can be calculated accurately on the basis
of the stoichiometry of UQ: (134.5 kg O/MTU) and an abundance of 0.039 at. 9% 'O in normal
oxygen, which corresponds with 55.6 g of "O/MTU or 3.27 g-atoms of '70/‘MTU. As listed 1in
Table 2, burnup of BWR and PWR fuels to 27.500 and 33,000 MW(t)d/MTU, respectively, leads to
the formation of 0.098 and 0.104 Ci of *C/MTU, which corresponds with 3.3 and 3.5 Cif GW{e)-yr,
respectively.
Table 2. Production of '*C in core hardware and Tuel at light-water reactors (BWR and PWR)
14
C existing 150 days after
Total '*C production
Qua:;;ity Quantity of element in core discharge of fuel (Ci/MTU)
core {g/M70) From From From Calcuiated Observed
Material {kg/MTU) Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen carbon nitrogen oXygen Ci/MTU cifcvi(e)-yr® Ci/GW{e)-yr
Soiling-Water Reactorb
Zircaloy-2 {Grade RA=1} 316 £85.3 $25.3 1.29E-5 4.338-1 0.k33 14,5
30k stainless steel 50 <40.0 50-80 0.60E-5 (0.86-1.37)E+0 0.86-1.137 28.7-45.9
Inconel-X 3.4 <34 0.058-5 0., 000 2.0
Uranium dioxide 1135 low 10 134,500 1.718-1 9.83E-2 0.269 9.0
Med 25 L.28E-1 0.526 17.6
High 79 1.288+0 1.38 6.3
ater 216 192,000 1.408-1 0,140 L.7 &°
Totals, Low 1.70 57
Med a.21 7h
High 3.32 111
Pressurized-Water Reactox‘ti
Zircaloy-i {Grade RA-2) 2135 <53%.5 £18.8 1.02E-5 2.74E-1 0.274 9.5
302 stainiess steel L.2 <3, L.2-6.7 0.05E-5 (0.61-0.98)8-1 0.061-0,098 2.1-3.4
304 stainless steel 7.1 £29.7 37.1-59.4 0. %8E-5 (5.42-8.671E-1 0.5k2-0, B6T 18.8-30.0
Inconel 716 12.8 1.3 C.02E-5 0. 000 0.0
Microbraze 50 2.6 0.3 c.2 1.1 0.00E~5 3,66E-3 0.858-6 0.004 0.12
Uranium dioxide 1135 tow 10 134,500 1,938-1 1,041 0.287 9.6
Med 25 4, 57E-1 0.561 i8.8
High 79 1. 37E+0 1.48 k9.5
Water 216 192,000 1.402-2 0. 1%g 5.0 ¢
Totals, Low 1.32 44
Med .77 59
High 2.87 9%
Bhased on 33.5 MTU/GWie)-yr.
Y)RIGEN caiculations assume 18.823 MWt)/MTU, & years in reactor, to 27,500 MHd/MTU; 2.6 wt % 2%*U. Quantities of metal in core from ref. 2%i.
. 2 . : . ; . . . - .
“The measured vaiuel at the Nine Mile Point reactor [625 MWie)}] was & Ci/yr; see text for comments on power density and steam/liguid water volume.
dORIGEN calculations assume 30,0 MW{t)/MTU, 3 vears in reactor, to 33,000 MWA/MTU; 3.3 wt % 2%, Quantities of meta: in core from re?. 22.
There is considerable variation in production of "“C from the '“N{n,p) reaction because of
variations in the nitrogen content of LWR fuels. Crow’’ presented the following brief summary of a
survey of five fuel fabrication plants:
Maximum nitrogen allowed by specification, ppm 75-100
Maximum nitrogen reported, ppm 100
Minimum nitrogen reported, p;fim 1
Average nitrogen in reactor fuel, ppm 255
He has indicated that the 25 +35 ppm average is not a true arithmetic average but a consensus
derived from discussions with representatives of fuel manufacturers.
Table 3 contains the results of 2 much more extensive survey of the nitrogen content of fuels
made at these same five plants. The current average nitrogen content varies from 3 to 50 ppm and
the standard deviation of each average is in the range of 40 to 70% of the average. The data shown
in Table 3 suggest that the median value of fuel from all plants is about 25 ppm,‘
The differences in the nitride-nitrogen concentrations in LWR fuels from the five manufacturers
listed in Table 3 are due to many variables. Some of these have been described qualitatively and are
discussed by Pechin et al.”* without reference to reaction times, temperatures, and concentrations.
Uranium hexafluoride from gaseous diffusion plants, enriched to 2 to 4 wt % in *°U, is the starting
material in the manufacture of LWR fuels. Four of the manufacturers use the ammonium diuranate
(ADU) process, and one uses the direct (dry) conversion (DC) process. Powdered UQ, is obtained
from both processes, cracked NH; being the preferred source of hydrogen reductant. Pellets are
obtained by pressing the powder into pellet form and sintering these in hydrogen, as in the
uranium-valence reduction step. Pellet pressing is performed as a dry operation (except for a little
lubricant). Sintering is performed at temperatures ranging from < 1600°C to = 1750°C. After
cooling, the pellets are loaded into Zircaloy fuel tubes (closed at one end), usually without any
additional treatment. Before the fuel tube is Welded closed in a helium atmosphere at all plants, air is
removed in a vacuum degassing step at four plants, but is left in place at one of the plants. During
the degassing operation, pellets in the fuel rods are unheated in some plants and heated in others. All
vaccum degassing operations are followed by filling the fuel rod with high-purity helium and closing
the second end by welding in 2 helium atmosphere. Helium is added under pressure to fuel tubes at
the plant at which the the vacuum degassing step is not employed. The gaseous nitrogen from 18 to
30 ¢c of air in a single fuel tube containing about 1.75 kg of UO; corresponds to an additional 10 to
16 ppm-of N, that is not included in Table 3.
Because of the wide range of nitrogen concentrations, three values of '*C production from the
“N(n,p) reaction are listed in Table 2. These correspond to 10, 25, and 75 ppm of nitrogen. At these
three levels, "*C production for the listed burnup conditions are 0.171, 0.428, and 1.28 Ci/MTU,
respectively, which corresponds to 5.7, 14.3, and 42.9 Ci/ GW({e)-yr for the BWR. Similar values for
the PWR are 0.183, 0.457, and 1.37 Ci/ MTU, respectively, and 6.1, 15.3, and 459 Ci/GW(e)-yr.
It may be noted that the same quantity of "C will be produced from "O(n,o) and ""N{n,p)
reactions when the nitrogen content of the fuel is about 5.7 ppm for both PWRs and BWRs.
The chemical form of "“C in the fuel is not known. When formed from any of the five nuclear
reactions presented in Sect. 2, this nuclide might become bound to uranium as carbide, remain as
impurity atoms, or be converted to carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. A nitrogen impurity of
75 ppm corresponds to 1.28 Ci of "C/MTU in the case of the reference BWR and to 1.37 Ci of
“C/MTU in the case of the reference PWR (Table 2). These maximum expected activities
Table 3., Ni
trogen content of U0, fuels for LWRs and of FFTF fuelg?
-_—
FFTF fuels®[ (U,Pu)0. ]
Current production of LWR fuels (U0;) Compan
pany A fuel ComEanX B fyuol
Company Analyzed by Analyzed by
1 2 3 4 5 Company A HEDL Companv B HEDL
No. of measurements 358 408 38 206 70 8G 10 80 10
Percent of measurements with nitrogen, ppm
<10 i¢o 75 42 14 10 68 100 78 9¢
it - 20 12 53 39 1 4 17
20 - 35 9 36 16 12 5 10
>35 4 5
35 - 50 10 27 2
>50 1 486 14
Mass-weighted av nitrogen, pom 2.8 13.3 13.7 21.6 47.8 <21.6% <1p© <11.1¢ <9 2¢
Std deviation, ppmS 1.4 8.3 9.8 11.1 21.2 N.A N.A N.A N.A.
aPrimarin nitride nitrogern.
bFrom ref, 52.
CNumerical values are based on using the many values <10 ppm as 1C0.0 ppm.
It is emphasized that the distribution of nitrogen analyses is not normal. N.A. (not available) 1is
used because a meaningful sta
ndard deviation cannot be calculated,
correspond to a ratio of about 1 "*C atom/ 200,000 uranium atoms. Ferris and Bradley™ studied the
reactions of uranium carbides with nitric acid and found that 50 to 80% of the carbide carbon was
converted to carbon dioxide;, the remaining carbide carbon was converted to nitric acid-soluble
chemicals such as oxalic acid, mellitic acid, and other species, probably aromatics highly substituted
with -COOH and -OH groups. Formation of such compounds can be reconciled with the existence
of the polymeric -C-C- bonds of uranium carbides. However, at a ratio of 1 “C atom/ 200,000
uranium atoms, or even at a ratio | C atom/500 uranium atoms, which would correspond to an
impurity of 100 ppm of carbon in the UQ;, there will be a very low concentration of -C-C- bonds in
the UO- fuels. This suggests that a larger quantity of any carbide carbon, including that formed from
nuclear reactions, will be converted to €O, in dissolving operations at the {uel reprocessing plant
than the 50 to 80% reported by Ferris and Bradley®® for pure uranium carbides. An experimental
program to measure C liberated during fuel dissolution is now in progress.”
3.2 Formation in Core Hardware
Core structural materials include stainless steel support hardware, Zircaloy cladding, and nickel
alloys used as springs and fuel tube separators. According to specifications,”” "' the primary source
of “C in these materials is the nitrogen that is present in quantities listed in Table 4. The quantities
of each of the types of metal (i.e., stainless steel, Zircaloy, Inconel-X) are somewhat dependent on
the reactor type (BWR™ or PWR™ ) and on the year and size of the design within a reactor type.
For example, Fuller ei al.”” have presented data on the fifth and sixth generation BWRs (BWR/5
and BWR/6) from which the weight ratios are calculated to be 247 and 265 kg of Zircaloy-2/MTU,
respectively. Other estimates of quantities of structural hardware have been given by Griggs™ and by
Levitz et al.”” However, the quantities of these metals, the contained nitrogen, and the 'C produced
(as listed in Table 2} are based on information pertaining to present reactor designs provided by
Marlowe’ and Kiip.™* Carbon-14 values are based on calculations with the ORIGEN code' for a
BWR operated to a burnup of 27,500 MW(1)d/MTU in 4 yr and a PWR to a burnup of 33,000
MW(t)d/ MTU in 3 yr. The revised light-element library'® was used in these calculations. Most of the
“C formed in these structural components will be retained within the metal when the latter is
encapsulated for long-term disposal, although a very small fraction in the Zircaloy might be
dissolved in fuel leaching solutions at the fuel reprocessing plant. Experiments have never been
performed to evaluate this possibility.
3.3 Formation in Cooling Water
Oxygen of the cooling water and nitrogen-containing chemicals in this water are sources of HC,
An accurate calculation of the quantity of “C that will be formed would require integrating the flux
over the volume of water in and surrounding the core. Data to perform such an integration do not
appear to be readily available, but reasonable approximations can be made. Reference 34 gives
values for the atomic ratio H/U of 3.74 and 4.23 for BWRs and PWRs, respectively; these
correspond to 7860 and 8890 g-atoms of O (as H:0)/MTU. tuller et al.” give values of the
water; fuel volume ratio of 2.52 for BWR -5 and 2.50 for BWR ;6. A water density of 0.805 g/cm’
and a UQ, density of 10 g/cm’, both at 556"F, indicate a ratio of about 13,000 g-atoms of O/ MTU
for the BWR cores. Reference 36 gives a hot, {first care H,0/ UO; volume ratio (for a PWR) of 2.08,
Tavlie L. Specifications for carbon and nitrogen in
reactor structural and claddinrg metals
Specifications {(wt %)
Reactor
type Carbon Nitrogen Reflerences for specifications
. 27 25
Steinless steel 204 BWR <0.08 0.10-0.16 ASME SA213-73 and ASME SA-2L ‘
27 2
304 PWR <0.08 0.10-0.16 ASME SAZ213-73 and ASME SA-2LO
29
316 IMFBR 0.040-0. 060 <0.010 RDT M73-287
5
Zircaloy=2 BWR <0, 027 <0, 008 ASTM B253-71 (ANSI N12M-1973>3
. O
Zircaloy-L PWR <0,027 <0.008 ASTM B353-7% (ANST N124-1973}3
Tnconel-X RWR <0.10 Trternational Nickel Co. o-
) . ) o 31
Inconel 718 PWR =0.10 nternational Nickel Co.
Nicrobraze 50 PWR 0.01 0. 0066
01
11
which corresponds to about 10,500 g-atoms of O/MTU. For the purpose of this report, it is thus
assumed that the rate of reaction ''O(n,a)"'C is specified by a ratio 12,000 g-atoms of O/MTU and
a natural 'O abundance of 0.039 at. % in oxygen for both BWRs and PWRs. This corresponds
(Table 2) to about 4.7 and 5.0 Ci of "C/GW(e)-yr for BWRs and PWRs, respectively, from the
YO(n,a)"'C reaction: it also corresponds to an initial atomic ratio H/ U of about 220 for BWRs
and 175 for PWRs using fuels containing 2.6% and 3.3% °*°U, respectively.
The quantity of "C formed from impurity nitrogen cannot be estimated since there do not
appear to be any analyses Ifiertaining to the concentration of this element in reactor cooling water.
Although its concentration may be no more than a [ew parts per million, Cohen® mentions a value
as high as 50 ppm NH: in the primary cooling water of PWRs.
Quantities of '*C actually released from a BWR and three PWRs, as measured by Kunz and his
coworkers,'''* are listed in Table 2. From the BWR at Nine Mile Point (625 MW(e)] they
observed'” a release rate of 8 Ci of "*C/yr. These authors also reported 6 Ci of *C/GW(e)-yr on the
basis of their analyses of gaseous effiuents from the Ginna, Indian Point 1, and Indian Point 2
PWRs. At the PWR stations,'' over 80% of the "“C activity was chemically bound as CH, and C,H,;
only small quantities were bound as CO». At the Nine Mile Point BWR station'” the chemical form
of "“C was greatly different, with 95% as CO,, 2.5% as CO, and 2.5% as hydrocarbons.
On the bases of the fuel isotopic compositions and burnups shown in the footnotes of Table 2
and for the assumed ratio of 12,000 g-atoms of O/ MTU, an impurity of 1 ppm.of nitrogen in the
cooling water {corresponding to 0.216 g of N/MTU) would lead to the formation of 0.124 and 0.132
Ci of '4C/GW(e)~yr in BWRs and PWRs, respectively. The difference between a calculated 5 Ci of
M/ GW(e)yr from the "O(n,e) reaction and the observed 6 Ci/yr at the PWR stations'' (Table 2)
is probab!y well within limits of analytical uncertainty. The extrapolation to 16 Ci of ""C/GW(e)-yr
from the measured 8 Ci/yr at the Nine Mile Point BWR is based on maintenance of a constant
power density and a constant volume ratio H,0/ UO,. Values of this ratio tabulated for the Nine
Mile Point reactor’’ and for newer, larger reactors, such as those at Brown’s Ferry,42 do not differ
significantly (2.38 vs 2.43); the average power densities for the two reactors are 41 and 50.732
kW/liter, respectively. When these ratios are combined with data on the average void fractions
within a fuel assembly (a measure of steam/liquid water, and having values of 0.3 for the Nine Mile
Point core and 0.4 for the Brown's Ferry core), it is apparent that “C formation in a new 1100
MW(e) BWR (such as BWR/5"™) would be larger than 8 Cij GW(e)-yr, but significantly less than
16 Ci/ GW(e)-yr.
4.0 CARBON-14 FORMATION IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE GAS-COOLED REACTORS
The only structural materials in HTGRs in which "C will be formed to any significant extent
are the fuel containing and reflector blocks of graphite. There will be some nitrogen and oxygen in
the helium coolant.*’ However, the rate of "*C formation from coolant impurities will be very small
in comparison with similar rates in the fuel blocks; in addition, the helium cleanup system is
expected to remove CO:, a probable form of part of the "*C in the coolant.
4.1 F"ormation in the Fuel
The compositions of fertile and fissile fuel for HTGRs have not been positively established since
commercial reactors are not yet being roade. However, it is highly probable* that the initial and
12
makeup (the IM stream) fuel will be in the form of about 93 wt 9% of *U as UC,, that *"’U bred
from the fertile thorium will be recycled as UC; (the 23R stream), and that uranium recovered from
the IM stream after reprocessing, if it is recycled as the 25R stream, will also be in the form of UC,.
Similarly, the fertile thorium is expected to be in the form of ThO;. Uranium in the IM stream will
have a chemical history different than that of uranium in the 23R and 25R streams. In particular,
uranium for the IM stream will be received at a fresh-fuel fabrication pla,m45 as UF,, which will be
hydrolyzed with steam to UOQOsF:; this, in turn, will be reduced at about 650°C with H, ( from
cracked ammonia) to UO.. Subsequently, the UO: will be mixed with carbon flour, ethyl cellulose
and methylene chloride. 1t will then be dried, ground, separated into appropriate sizes, and heated in
a vacuum to cause the formation of UC,. Finally, it will be cooled in an inert atmosphere, which
may cither be nitrogen or argon. {n these successive processes, the uranium-bearing matenal never
exists as a nitrogen-containing compound, although it is exposed to N; from cracked ammonia at a
high temperaiure and may be exposed to nitrogen after formation of UC;.
On the other hand,' recycle uranium, both 23R and 25R streams, will pass through the uranyl
nitrate [UO2(NO;):] state i a fuel reprocessing plant. These materials will be denitrated and
converted to UQO, before subsequent carbonizing steps that are similar to those described {or the [IM
material. The significance of the differences in histories is that recycle uranium may contain more
nitrogen (from undecomposed nitrate) than does the initial or makeup 93% **U.
There are limited data concerning the quantities of nitrogen in potential HTGR fuel since this
fuel 1s not made on a routine basis. It is therefore assumed that all forms of UC; and ThO: contain
the same quantity of nitrogen (i.e., 25 ppm) used in this report as an industry concensus for LWR
fuels. On this basis, about 0.96 Ci of “C/MTHM, or about 9.7 Ci; GW(e)-yr will be formed from
the '4N(n,p) reaction.
Carbon-14 will also be formed to the extent of 0.225 CiyMTHM, or 2.3 Ci/GW(e)-yr, from the
reaction ' 'O(n,a)"C of oxygen present as ThO: (Table 35).
4.2 Formation in Graphite Blocks
Independently of the "N(n,p)'C reaction, significant quantities of "“C will be formed in
graphite of fuel and reflector blocks due to the reaction "‘C(n,y)*C. Based on a lifetime average
ratio of 10.93 MTC in fuel blocks; MTHM, about 3.7 Ci of "*C/MTHM, or 37 Ci/GW(e)-yr. will
be formed from this (n,v) reaction (Table 5). Additional *C will be formed in reflector blocks,
which are present to the extent of 16.29% of fuel blocks on a lifetime average basis. The neutron flux
in reflector blocks will be about 70 to 80% of the corc-average flux, although the "“C production
listed in Table 5 is based on a flux in these reflector blocks equal to the core average. The total *C
formed from the ''C(n,y) reaction in fuel blocks and reflector blocks is less than 4.3 Ci/ MTHM, or
less than 43 Ci/ GW(e)-yr.
The amount of nitrogen present in fuel-block or reflector-block graphite is uncertain. Four
samples of graphite were irradiated in the Oak Ridge Rescarch Reactor (ORR) and were
subsequently analyzed for “C.* The quantity of this nuclide in excess of that calculated to be
formed from the '"C(n,y)"*C reaction was ascribed to the reaction "*N(n,p)*C. On the basis of this
assumption. the equivalent nitrogen impurity was calculated to be 3.2 to 84 ppm on a
graphite-weight basis. The only other estimate of nitrogen content in an in-use graphite is 26 ppm."*
and is used here as the basis for the value of 30 ppm of nitrogen in fuel blocks and reflector blocks
listed in Table 5. Carbon-14 formed in graphite containing 30 ppm of nitrogen corresponds to
126 Ciy MTHM or 127 Ci/GW(e)-yr.
_Table 5. Production of 1% in graphite and fuel al High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
14: existing 160 days after
discharge of fuel
Impurity content Material Quantity of element in core {C1/MIHM )
. {g/MriM) ; F From Total '*c
Nitrogen Oxygen in core From rom ro <
Material {ppm} {wt. %3 _{MT /MTHM ) Carbon Ritrogen Oxygen carbon nitrogen OXygen Ci/MIHM Ci/GWie)-yr
Graphite in fuel blocks 107 10.5%° 1.0G3E+7 3.28E+2 3,69 12.58 i6.27 164
Graphite in reflector b . 4
tlocks 30 .77 1.77E6 3. 54E+E . <0.60 <2,0h . <2.6% <=6.6
IM uraniom (1K, } 25 0. oi;5h81 2.50E+1 G.95G G, Olli Q. L
Recycle uranium (s ) 25® o.chsize’ 2. 50E+1 0.559 0. ot G, s =
Thorium dioxide 25° i2.1g 0.9091'&1f 2,50B+1 1.25E+5 C.959 0,255 1.08 10.5
Total
®Rased on 10.11 MEM/CWlel=yT {eguivalent to 38.9% efficiency in converting hest to electricity).
bThi: ig an estimate based on the sssumplion that no great efforts will be made tc minimize the nitrogen content,
“See ref. 13.
dBased cn & neuirsn flux in reflecior blocks eguai te the coresaverage flux. HNowever, the fiux in the reflector blocks will be about 70 to 8% of the core-averusge value.
€Assumed to be the same as in IWR fuels.
Y¥rem rer. 13 the following values are obtained: 405,08 kg {034 3°®U) TH material, 294,07 kg 23R material, 107.83 kg 25R material, and 8394.7¢ kg thorium in the lifetime average annual
reload. values listed sre MY thoriwm or uranium/MTHM.
€211 of this is potentislly svailable for release at the [usl reprocessing plant except asbout 0.012 Ci/MTHM {0.12 Ci/GWie}-yr) in the initislly fissile particles cof the 25R stream
£ E% P P P r
which are designated 25W efter digcharge.
14
5.0 CARBON-14 FORMATION IN LIQUID-METAL FAST BREEDER REACTORS
T'he primary structural material of the core of an LMFBR will be 316 or A-286 stainless steel.
Carbon-14 will be formed from impurities in this metal as well as in the fuel. Since no LMFBR has
yet been buili, discussion presented here is based on the proposed reference design' of the Clinch
River Breeder Reactor (CRBR) and on recent updating of fuel composition.*™ A core element for
this reactor is shown in Fig. 1.
5.1 Formation in the fuel
In common with LWR fuels, ""C will be formed by the "O(n.a) and "“N(n.p) reactions in
LMFBR fuels; in both types of reactor very small quantities of "*C will be formed by the ''C(n.y)
reaction. Two other reactions produce "C in the LMFBR (Sect. 2): "N(n,d) and "O(n,'He).
Croff's'* estimates of cross sections and formation rates are listed in Table 1. Production of *C
from reactions involving oxygen are listed in Table 6; these values are based on 8383 g-atoms of
O/MTHM (in this case, MTHM is uranium plus plutonium) and 0.039 at. % of "0 in natural
oxygen (corresponding to 3.27 g-atoms of O/ MTHM).
The specification limit on the nitride nitrogen impurity in plutonium dioxide™ and driver fuel™
for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) 1s 200 ppm. Air in fuel rods is evacuated and replaced by
high-purity helium'' before the rods are closed by welding in a helium atmosphere. The maximum
fuel-pellet gas content of 0.09 cc (STP) per gram of fuel,™ exclusive of water, would correspond to
120 g of N/MTU 1if all the gas were nitrogen. Measured nitride citrogen concentrations in FFTF
fuels have been significantly less than specifications, gencrally in the 10 to 20 ppm range,” as shown
in Table 3. Therefore, it is assumed in this report that the concentration of nitrogen in CRBR fuel
will be about 25 ppm, with a range of 10 to 75 ppin. These values were used to estimate an average
and range (Table 7) of "*C formation due to neutron absorption by "N and ""N. The average value
is 0.166 Ci of "“"C/MTHM. or 6.1 Ci of "C/GW(e)-yr; the values range from 0.0665 Ci; MTHM
[2.45 Ci; GW(e)-yr] to 0.499 Ci/MTHM [18.4 Ci; GW(e)-yr]. Formation of "C from oxygen in the
fuel, 0.00364 Ci) MTHM, and from nitrogen would be equal if the nitrogen concentration in the fuel
were about 0.55 ppm.
5.2 Formation in Core Hardware
As noted above, 316 stainless steel (with specifications listed in ref. 29) or A-218, is essentially
the only metal in the CRBR core and may be the only metal in future commercial LMFBRs,
Specification RDT M3-28T, Table 4, requires that the oxygen and nitrogen concentrations be lower
than corresponding values for 304 stainless steel used in LWRs. In particular, the specification of
<0.010 wt % of nitrogen in 316 stainless steel is more than a factor of 10 below the specification of
0.10 to 0.16 wt 9% of nitrogen in 304 stainless steel for LWR applications.
Calculated quantities of "*C to be formed in CRBR cladding are listed in Table 7. These are
based on 100 ppm (0.01 wt %) of nitrogen and on the “mass ratios” shown in Table 6. These ratios
refer only to cladding plus shroud plus wire between bottom and top fuel elevations, The neutron
flux decreases very rapidly with elevation away from fuel levels. For this recason, "C formation in
regions above the fuel level in the upper axial blanket and below the fuel level in the lower axial
blanket 1s neglected.
OR&L DWG 78 - 14882
5 833-mmn (0 2307.) DIAM
WIRE WRAP .84 n {C. 2D
S f422-mm (0.056n) DiaM / 217 REQD
N\ H.78-cm (Tia) PITCH /
1.62-cm (4.57%4n.)
HEX DUCT TUBE
3.048-mm (0.120-x) WALL
o
Fig, 1. Reference CRBR core fuel assembly.
ST
Table 6. Data pertaining to **C production in the CRBR
' ORIGEN - o , 14
Specif%c Mass sfgiilgzs Mas calculated Specific production of ~ C from
pPoWer of HM a.b ratio burnup _ Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen
MA (L) charged®’ steel®’ (MESS) [ngt)-d (Ci \ Ci ci )
CRBR region MTHM (M) (MT) MIHM { MTHM g c) g N 100 kg 0
Inner core 113.22 1.4361 10.63 0.66 93,066 9.98E-9 1.88e-2 §.398-3
Outer core 104.63 1.2006 9.11 0.66 86,005 6.92E-9 1.328-2 5.48E-3
Upper axisl blanket 3.482 1.0361 8.L0 0.66 2,862 1.47E-9 2.85E-3 1.03E-3
Lower axial blanket 7.276 1.0361 7.77 0.66 5,981 2.66E-9 5.13E-3 1.92E-3
Radial blanket 4.302 3.0373 20,0k 0.185 3,536 1.75E=9 3.39E-3 1.24E-3
Total in reactor 32.3505 56.25 0.393
d
Mass-average 30.154 24,811
83ee Rer. L8.
bThe heavy metal (HM) charge is the annual charge; annually, one-third-of the core and axial blankets and one-sixth of the
radial blankets are replaced, The stainless-steel mass is the total in the specified region, not Jjust the {fresh steei, The
mass ratio of stainless steel to heavy metal [{MTSS/MTHM), column 5)] is the sum {cladding mass + shroud mass + wire mass)
Caiculations are based on the following
betwern the bottom and top fuel elevations, Fig.
data for core and axisl blanket tubes (fuel pins, see Fig, 1):
1, per unit mass of heavy metal.
0D = 0.230 in.; ID = 0.200 in,; wire-rod spacer (running
4,575 in.; hex metal thickness = (.120 in.;
nearly coaxially with fuel pin) = 0.055 in. diam; hex face-to-face distance
fuel diameter = 0.20C in.; density of stainless steel = 8,02 g/em’; density of fuel {U0;) = 9.316 (85% of theoretical 10.96
g/cm’®). The radial blanket fuel rod dimensions are: OD = 0.520 in.; ID = 0.490 in.:
are as given above.
-~
From the stoichiometry of {U,Pu)0,, therc are about 134 kg O/MTHM.
drnis corresponds to 36.80 MTHM/GW(ec)-yr, as used in Table 7.
fuel diam
= 0.485 in.; all other parameters
91
Teble 7. Production of *C in the CRBR™
Production of 3¢ in fuel from
Production of 144
Nitrogen : .
from nitrogen in
Oxygen Low { 10 ppm ) Average {25 ppa} High { 75 pom) stainless steel
CRBR region - - C1/MDHM Ci/GW(elwyT €1 /MTHM Ci/GwWle )-yr Ci/MTHM Ci/GwW{e}-yr C1i/MTHM 2i/Gw{el-yT Ci/MIHM Ci/GWie)-yr
inner core 1.138.2 1.11E-1 1.88E-1 1.84E+0 4, 7TOE-1 Y 61E+C 1.h2E+0 1.33E+1 1.2LE+O 1.22E+1
Duter core 7.35E-3 7.80E-2 1.39E-1 1. LOE+0D 3.30B-1 3.50E+0 3.00E-1 1.056+1 §.738-1 Q. 27E+0
Upper axial blanket 1,39E-3 4, k31 2,85E-2 9. 09E+0 7.12E~2 2.27E+1 2. 1hE-1 6.82F+1 1.868E-1 6.01E+1
Iower axial blanket 2.58E-3 3.9kE-1 5,.13E-2 7.838+0 1.28E~1 1,96E+1 3.85E-1 5. 87E+1 3.398-1 5. 18841
Radial blanket 1.6TE=3 b, 31F-3 3.398-2 8. T6E+0 8. 4B~z 2.19E+1 2. 5hf-1 £.57E+1 £.27E-2 1.65k+%
Mass-average 3, 6hE-3 1.34E-1 6,65E-2 2. 45E+0 1.66E-1 6,128+ 0 4,99E-1 1.8LE+1 3.L49E-1 1. 28E+1