Development of a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer for non-destructive analysis of isotope ratios in irradiated B 4C pellets—Test measurements on an unirradiated control rod pellet

Abstract

A laser mass spectrometric facility is developed using a home-built reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (RTOFMS) to analyze the boron isotopic ratio 10B/ 11B in the irradiated B 4C pellets of the FBTR control rod. Compared to other mass spectrometry-based methods, the present method is practically non-destructive and makes it relatively easier to handle irradiated (radioactive) B 4C pellets through remote operation. The results with inactive samples indicate that the method yields 10B percentage values, accurate to within ±1%.