An Automated SeaFAST ICP-DRC-MS Method for the Determination of 90Sr in Spent Nuclear Fuel Leachates.

Víctor Vicente Vilas,Stefaan Van Winckel,Laura Aldave De Las Heras,Miguel Sandow,Daniel Serrano-Purroy,Luis Iglesias Pérez,Sylvain Millet

doi:10.3390/molecules25061429

Abstract

To reduce uncertainties in determining the source term and evolving condition of spent nuclear fuel is fundamental to the safety assessment. ß-emitting nuclides pose a challenging task for reliable, quantitative determination because both radiometric and mass spectrometric methodologies require prior chemical purification for the removal of interfering activity and isobars, respectively. A method for the determination of 90Sr at trace levels in nuclear spent fuel leachate samples without sophisticated and time-consuming procedures has been established. The analytical approach uses a commercially available automated pre-concentration device (SeaFAST) coupled to an ICP-DRC-MS. The method shows good performances with regard to reproducibility, precision, and LOD reducing the total time of analysis for each sample to 12.5 min. The comparison between the developed method and the classical radiochemical method shows a good agreement when taking into account the associated uncertainties.

Highlights

To ensure long-term safety of spent nuclear fuel, deep geologic repository is the most accepted solution by the scientific community [1]
The best results, in terms of linearity and target concentration expected in the SNF leachates, were obtained for a working range of 5 to 40 pg g−1
A method for the determination of 90 Sr based on the SeaFAST sample pre-concentration system with ICP-dynamic reaction cell (DRC)-MS has been developed and tested in spent nuclear fuel leachates

Summary

Introduction

To ensure long-term safety of spent nuclear fuel, deep geologic repository is the most accepted solution by the scientific community [1]. Within this concept, the spent fuel matrix is the first barrier in case of a canister breakage [2]. The Instant Release Fraction (IRF) comprises the radionuclides segregated during the irradiation and with faster dissolution rates than the matrix and constitutes one of the main sources of radiological risks for the geological repository [3]. The use of ICP-MS in nuclear decommissioning has been widely discussed in the literature [5,6] and is the preferred technique for long-lived radionuclides due to its analytical characteristics [7].

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