NFM 1

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Nuclear Fuel Management(NPE-605)

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Instructors,M Iqbal Soomro (DCS)

Ms Farheen Mohsin(SS)

Mr Owais Waseem (JE)

Course Content:

Different types of Nuclear Fuel Cycles; Uraniumresources; Uranium exploration techniques;

Uranium mining and milling; Enrichmenttechniques; Fuel element fabrication; Qualityassurance; PWR fuel management using LinearReactivity Model for equal and unequal powersharing ; Lattice cell calculations; Global corecalculations; Fuel scheduling; Burnable poisonsand their effects; Fuel depletion analysis;Change in kinetic behavior of core with burn up;Nuclear fuel reprocessing; Waste disposal.

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Recommended Books:

1. The Nuclear Fuel Cycle(from ore to waste)P.D.Wilson

2. Duderstadt, J. J., Hamilton, L. J., Nuclear

Reactor Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, 1976.

3. Frost, B. R. T., Nuclear Fuel Element,Pergamon Press, 1982.

4.M.J. Driscoll, Linear React iv i ty Model for

Nuclear Fuel Managemen t, 1999.3

Midterm Marks = 30 Marks

Quizzes /Assignments = 20 Marks

Final Exam = 50 Marks

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Resources of Uranium

The worldwide production of uranium in 2009

amounted to 50,572 tones

Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the topthree producers

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Country Site Mine

Pakistan South Punjab, DG

Khan, Mianwali,Sindh (sandstone)

Leghari , Baghalchur,

Kirthar range

Australia South Australia(Pitchblende ),

Queensland, WesternAustralia

Canada Saskatchewan(Pitchblende), Ontario

Athabasca basin,

Alona bay

United States New Mexico, Texas,

Arizona, Florida,Washington(sandstone)

Kazakhstan (Pitchblende )

Russia Western Siberia(Pitchblende)

Priargunsky mine

Uranium Exploration Exploration process is deductive in nature

(It starts from general ideas , geological concepts, fieldand laboratory work)

Major phases involve

in this process are

following,

1. Planning phase

2. Scanning phase

3. Selective phase

4. Defining phase7

Uranium Exploration (contd..)

Planning Phase

A general exploration strategy is developed for

mineral required (site selection, minerals

expected etc)

Scanning Phase

In this step areas of interest are highlighted and

exploration work started (to investigate

possibility of desired mineral)It also includes prospecting, mapping and surveying, either on the

ground or from a plane or helicopter, where special equipmentmeasures the magnetic or electrical properties of rocks on the

surface and underground (subsurface).8

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5. These instruments are light weight, compact and

easy to handle so less skilled person can alsoutilize them

6. Grade of ore material can easily be estimated

before chemical examination

7. Along with other geophysical surveys

simultaneously airborne or water

Y-measurements can also be conducted13


Detectors utilize are,

1. G M detector

2. NaI scintillation counter

3. HPGe detector

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G-M counter with probe

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G-M counters being used as

gamma survey monitors, seekingradioactive debris


Exploration Techniques

Most useful techniques are,

1. Aerial radiometric surveys

2. Surface Radiometric Surveys

3. Gamma logging of drilled holes

4. Radon surveys

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Aerial Radiometric Surveys

Surveys are conducted in initial evaluation ofareas

Y-ray detectors are carried in helicopters

After detection of radioactive isotopes maps areplotted for verification on ground

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Advantages Disadvantages

Cost effective Can not detect exactly source

points of anomalies

Useful for flat areas N ot usefu l fo r up s an d d own s,

glacial areas etc

Can not identify variation in

radioactive gas content in

atmosphere

Advantages Disadvantages

Cost effective Can not detect exactlysource points ofanomalies

Useful for flat areas Not useful for ups and

downs, glacial areas etc

Can not identify variation

in radioactive gascontent in atmosphere


Surface Radiometric Surveys

The detectors installed in vehicles utilize forground radiometric surveys

Survey usually done in rough or forested areas

Spectrometer permits the identification as well

as concentration of natural radioactive elements(U, Th and K)

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Presence of characteristic Y-rays emitted by daughter

products of U and Th series would indicate presence ofUranium and Th in samples

The principal Y emission by U-238 series is associated

with Pb-214 and Bi-214 (decay products of Rn-222 gaswhich emits 5.48 MeV particles)

Hence 1.76MeV peak due to Bi-214 is carefully

monitored

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Uranium-238 decay

series

Thorium-232 decay

series


Hence if consider Thorium series the strongest

emitter in this series is Tl-208 (2.62MeV)

The isotopic abundance of K-40 is 0.012% and

the energy of emitted s is 1.46 MeV

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Gamma Logging of Drilled Holes

Subsurface radiometric information isdetermined by this method

A Y-ray detector is lowered in a hole andradioactivity is record

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Gamma ray log. Blue and black lines

indicate the measured gamma rays.

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Radon Surveys

The technique involves the monitoring of Radonin soil, rocks and water.

Rn-222 is the decay product of U-238 while

Rn-220 is the decay product of Th-232.

Rn-222 is a radioactive gas with 3.82 days T1/2and emits -particles

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Uranium-238 decay

series

Thorium-232 decay

series


Due to diffusion process through earth crust it is

found on surface even if uranium deposits areburied several feet below

Field instruments called emanometer are used

to detect radon and its daughter concentration

An emanometer consist of

a. Suction pump

b. Dust filter

c. Chamber (ZnS-Scintillation detector)31


The suction pump collects gas from soil and

passes it through dust filter, Rn-222 being a

heavy gas is trapped into the filter and particles emitted by it are then counted with

scintillation detector

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Radon is constantly being generated by the radium in rocks,

soil, water and materials derived from rocks and soils.

Because radon is a gas, it can migrate through rocks andsoils, escaping into fractures and openings in rocks and into

ground water.

Radon and helium gas are potentially the best pathfinder

elements for uranium exploration.

Radon, unlike helium, is relatively inexpensive to measure.

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Because radon is a gas, it has much greater mobility

than uranium and radium, which are fixed in the solid

matter in rocks and soils.

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