AMS measurements of tritium in thermal column graphite from a decommissioned nuclear reactor

IF 1.5 3区物理与天体物理 Q3 INSTRUMENTS & INSTRUMENTATION

Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-beam Interactions With Materials and Atoms Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-23 DOI:10.1016/j.nimb.2026.166013

Hongtao Shen , Fen Luo , Junsen Tang , Xu Wang , Jiawen Wang , Xinya Huang , Lingrong Du , Wenqiao Liu , Weixin Chen , Dingxiong Chen , Jiajie Hu , Qinzhang Zhao , Ming He , Kimikazu Sasa , Shan Jiang

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Abstract

As a specialized carrier of radioactive substances, thermal column graphite continuously records and reflects radiation characteristics during reactor operation. Tritium (³H) is one of the primary radionuclides released by nuclear facilities. Determining its content in thermal column graphite provides critical insights for the design and development of new reactor components and materials, as well as for ageing assessment and service life prediction of nuclear facility equipment. In this study, samples from the inner, middle, and outer layers of the thermal column graphite of China’s decommissioned 101 Heavy Water Reactor were analyzed. A separation and purification method for ³H was established, and the accumulated Tritium was quantitatively analyzed using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry system at Guangxi Normal University (GXNU-AMS). The results demonstrate the successful separation of ³H from thermal column graphite at the 10 μg level, with significant variations in ³H radioactivity observed across different positions: the inner layer exhibited the highest activity at 81 Bq/g, while the outer layer showed the lowest activity at only 0.37 Bq/g.

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退役核反应堆热柱石墨中氚的AMS测量

热柱石墨作为放射性物质的专用载体，在反应堆运行过程中不断记录和反映辐射特性。氚（3H）是核设施释放的主要放射性核素之一。确定其在热柱石墨中的含量为设计和开发新的反应堆部件和材料，以及老化评估和核设施设备的使用寿命预测提供了关键的见解。本研究对中国退役的101重水堆热柱石墨的内层、中层和外层样品进行了分析。建立了3H的分离纯化方法，并利用广西师范大学加速器质谱系统对累积氚进行了定量分析。结果表明，热柱石墨在10 μg水平上成功分离了3H，并且在不同位置观察到3H放射性的显著变化：内层的3H活性最高，为81 Bq/g，而外层的3H活性最低，仅为0.37 Bq/g。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-beam Interactions With Materials and Atoms 物理-核科学技术

CiteScore

2.80

自引率

7.70%

发文量

231

审稿时长

1.9 months

期刊介绍： Section B of Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research covers all aspects of the interaction of energetic beams with atoms, molecules and aggregate forms of matter. This includes ion beam analysis and ion beam modification of materials as well as basic data of importance for these studies. Topics of general interest include: atomic collisions in solids, particle channelling, all aspects of collision cascades, the modification of materials by energetic beams, ion implantation, irradiation - induced changes in materials, the physics and chemistry of beam interactions and the analysis of materials by all forms of energetic radiation. Modification by ion, laser and electron beams for the study of electronic materials, metals, ceramics, insulators, polymers and other important and new materials systems are included. Related studies, such as the application of ion beam analysis to biological, archaeological and geological samples as well as applications to solve problems in planetary science are also welcome. Energetic beams of interest include atomic and molecular ions, neutrons, positrons and muons, plasmas directed at surfaces, electron and photon beams, including laser treated surfaces and studies of solids by photon radiation from rotating anodes, synchrotrons, etc. In addition, the interaction between various forms of radiation and radiation-induced deposition processes are relevant.