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US 5,350,542 AGranted
Nuclear fuel with isotopically depleted burnable absorber
AssigneeCombustion Engineering, Inc.
InventorsLeonard N. Grossman, Alf I. Jonsson
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AssigneeCombustion Engineering, Inc.
InventorsLeonard N. Grossman, Alf I. Jonsson
Estimating the term…
By using AVLIS or other methods capable of providing a depleted isotopic mixture, troublesome isotopes such as Gd.sup.154, Gd.sup.156 and Er.sup.166 are selectively removed from naturally occurring isotopic mixtures, while avoiding the additional costs associated with complete fractionation of the mixture. Such mixtures can be used to provide a burnable nuclear fuel absorber having a selectively depleted isotope or isotopes. In particular, the invention concerns burnable absorbers containing erbium with a depleted 166 isotope, gadolinium with a depleted 156 isotope or with depleted 154 and 156 isotopes, and methods for making such absorbers.
An isotopic mixture of isotopes of an element gadolinium suitable for use as a burnable absorber, wherein:
A method of treating a naturally occurring isotopic mixture of isotopes of an element gadolinium comprising using an isotopic separation process sufficient to selectively remove a substantial portion of only a first naturally occurring isotope having an isotope mass that is one less than a second naturally occurring isotope of said element, said second isotope having a thermal neutron cross-section higher than the thermal neutron cross-section of said first isotope and said first isotope being depleted to about 50% or more of its natural concentration.
An isotopic mixture of isotopes of an element gadolinium suitable for use as a burnable absorber, wherein:
A method of treating a naturally occurring isotopic mixture of isotopes of an element gadolinium comprising using an isotopic separation process sufficient to selectively and substantially remove only a first group of one or more naturally occurring isotopes having an isotope mass that is one less than a corresponding second group of isotopes having a thermal neutron cross-section higher than the thermal neutron cross-section of each of said corresponding first group of isotopes and each of said first group of isotopes being depleted to about 50% or more of its natural concentration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.