6533b7d7fe1ef96bd126835a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

An on-line mass separator for fission-produced alkali isotopes

J. M. Rodriguez-gilesD. WeskottL. KuglerS. L. KaufmanL. Von ReiskyJ. BonnErnst W. OttenK. P. C. Spath

subject

Materials scienceIsotopeFissionAnalytical chemistrySeparator (oil production)chemistry.chemical_elementGeneral MedicineTungstenAlkali metalNeutron temperatureNuclear physicsNuclear reactor corechemistryGraphite

description

Abstract The design of an on-line mass separator installed at the TRIGA reactor in Mainz is described and its performance discussed. A tungsten oven, filled with about 2 g of 235U embedded in graphite, is exposed to a flux of 1.7 × 1011 thermal neutrons (s− cm−2) near the reactor core. After diffusion out of the graphite the fission-produced alkali isotopes are surface-ionized and electromagnetically mass-separated, the resolving power being about 750. Losses during the diffusion out of the target material are discussed. Due to these losses the maximum separator efficiency is about 5%, corresponding to a source strength of about 109 particles s−1 for the most abundant isotopes. The heaviest alkali isotopes identified are 100Rb and 148Cs.

https://doi.org/10.1016/0029-554x(80)90329-8