RADIONUKLIDA CESIUM SEBAGAI INDIKATOR PENENTUAN BURNUP BAHAN BAKAR U3Si2/Al SECARA MERUSAK

Abstract

Determination of burn-up using a destructive method was carried out by separation of 137Cs in the irradiated U3Si2/Al fuel element plate (FEP) with a density of 4.8 gU/cm3. Determination of burn-up by the destructive method aims to study the suitability of the burn-up obtained by the non-destructive method or using the Origen Code software. FEP U3Si2/Al with CBBJ code 251 was cut in duplo at the top, middle and bottom with a weight of Top-1= 0.049 gFEP and Top-2=0.058 gFEP, Middle-1= 0.055 gFEP and Middle-2= 0.024 gFEP, and Bottom-1= 0.056 gFEP and Bottom-2=0.075gFEP. FEP samples were dissolved in acid to obtain a fuel solution containing fission products of 134Cs, 137Cs, 235U and other isotopes. The fuel solution was pipetted 1 mL and then transferred from the hot cell to R.135 to separate the 137Cs from 235U by a cation exchange method using zeolite from Lampung. The fuel solution was pipetted 100 μL and put into the vial in duplicate, then 1000 mg Lampung zeolite was added to the cation exchange process. The separation results were 137Cs in solid phase, while uranium and other isotopes in liquid phase. The amount of activity (Bq) of the 137Cs isotope was measured with a Spectrometer- and then used for burn-up calculation. The results of the calculation of the burn-up were 26.9714%; 55,1431%; and 37.8855% for the top, middle and bottom pieces, respectively, with an average burn-up by 40%. These values are not much different from the burn-up obtained by the non-destructive method using gamma scanning, i.e., 24.4%; 52.7% ; and 37.6% for top, middle and bottom positions with an average of 38.23% and a burn-up calculated using the Origen code, which is 40%.