Analysis of a uranium solution for evaluating the total number of fissions in the JCO criticality accident in Tokai-mura.
The uranium solution in the precipitation tank in the JCO's uranium conversion facility was analyzed in order to evaluate the total number of fissions in the criticality accident. Two analytical groups at JAERI performed chemical analyses independently in order to check the validity of the results: the concentration of the fission products (95Zr, 99Mo, 103Ru, 131I, 140Ba, etc), uranium, boron and impurity elements in the solution. The analytical results obtained by the two groups were almost in agreement within the analytical error. The number of fissions per one gram of uranium in the accident was determined to be (1.5 +/- 0.1 ) x 10(14). Also, the total number of events was evaluated to be (2.5 +/- 0.1) x 10(18) fissions using the total amount of uranium (16.6 kg) fed into the precipitation tank at the accident.
Uchiyama
G
G
Department of Fuel Cycle Safety Research, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Naka-gun, Ibaraki.
Watanabe
K
K
Miyauchi
M
M
Togashi
Y
Y
Nakahara
Y
Y
Fukaya
H
H
Inagawa
J
J
Suzuki
D
D
Sonoda
T
T
Kohno
N
N
Gunji
K
K
Ito
M
M
Sato
T
T
D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009680:Nuclear Fission; D009686:Nuclear Physics; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D012996:Solutions; D014501:Uranium / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*
D012996:Solutions; D014501:Uranium