Quantitative prediction of rare earth concentrations in salt matrices using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for application to molten salt reactors and pyroprocessing

Molten-salt Reactors—history, Status, and Potential

Molten-salt breeder reactors (MSBR's) are being developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for generating low-cost power while extending the nation's resources of fissionable fuel. The fluid fuel in these reactors, consisting of UF4 and ThF4 dissolved in fluorides of beryllium and lithium, is circulated through a reactor core moderated by graphite. Technology developments over the past 20 y...

Reactivity Oscillations in Molten Salt Reactors

The modification of the fuel composition in a molten salt reactor can cause the precipitation of fissile materials and thus the generation of fissile lumps moving within the system and introducing localized perturbations of multiplicativity. The problem of reactivity oscillations connected to this phenomenon in circulating fuel systems is addressed. The periodic behavior of such reactivity inse...

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: Application to Nuclear Waste Management

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to the analysis of simulant slurry samples used in the vitrification process of liquid radioactive wastes. The capability of direct analysis of slurry will significantly increase analytical throughput and will reduce waste generation in radiological analytical facilities, providing analyses suitable for waste acceptance and production reco...

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a powerful analytical technique that can be used for the detection and characterization of materials. In LIBS, a focused laser beam is used to generate a plasma plume on the surface of solid and liquid samples or inside the sample volume of gases, liquids, and aerosols. Each excited atom in the plasma emits a unique set of spectral lines, particula...