Release and Deposition of Fission Products from Sheathed CANDU® Fuel Samples in Hot-Cell Experiment 5 TGT Tests

Abstract

Three tests were carried out to investigate deposition and retention of fission products, released at high temperatures in steam and inert atmospheres, on the furnace tube and on two deposition sections made of CANDU-reactor-relevant structural materials. Trace-reirradiated segments of a fuel element discharged from Gentilly-2 were heated to peak temperatures of up to 2055 K in flowing carrier gas environment. The elements Te, I and Cs showed some preferential deposition from steam or inert gas containing a low concentration of oxygen on Zr-2.5Nb deposition sections compared to carbon steel or Inconel 600 deposition sections. In an inert environment test, the released fission products were not deposited preferentially on either carbon steel or stainless steel.