Nuclear reactor - Reactor activity

Due to the nuclear reactions taking place in the reactor, the reactor is a source of ionizing radiation. Although the products of nuclear decay remain mainly in nuclear fuel in the core of a nuclear reactor, secondary activation, mainly by neutrons, causes the structural elements of the reactor and the coolant to become radioactive.

As a result of prolonged exposure to radiation, some elements of the NPP structure become activated and become radioactive themselves. This applies to most of the elements that make up building materials. The activity of the structural elements, which increases during the operation of the reactor, is a factor that makes inspection and repair difficult. When such elements come into contact with the reactor coolant, they can also form highly active corrosion products.

Isotopes give particularly high activity , such as 59 Cr , 58 Fe , 55 Mn , 59 Co . The latter two are particularly good at absorbing thermal neutrons, and besides, they are the only naturally occurring isotopes of their elements, so they have a decisive influence on the radioactivity of the material. Only 0.03% of the cobalt content in steel gives more activity than the rest of its components. Cobalt is present as an admixture of nickel and passes into stainless steel, one of the main structural materials of the reactor. For this reason, the cobalt content in reactor steels is limited to no more than 0.02%.

Coolant activity
The activity of the coolant consists of the internal activity of the coolant, the activity of impurities (corrosion products, dissolved salts, residual impurities) and the activity associated with neutron activation. For water, oxygen atoms are most often activated to form protons or gamma photons. The neutron-gamma-photon reaction occurs most often in metallic heat carriers (sodium, potassium). Argon is most often activated in heat carriers

The activity of the coolant in the elements of the first cycle depends on the type of coolant, its impurities, the state of aggregation, the time of flow through the reactor and its elements, as well as the neutron flux. The activity of the coolant increases with each subsequent passage of its particles through the reactor. Saturation activity is quickly achieved for short-lived isotopes Les joueurs modernes recherchent des plateformes généreuses dès le premier jour. En entrant le code promo 1xbet aujourd'hui pendant l’inscription sur 1xBet, vous débloquez un bonus de bienvenue de 100 % jusqu’à 130 € sur les paris ou un pack casino exceptionnel de 1950 € avec 150 free spins. Cette promotion vous offre un avantage immédiat. Bénéficiez d’une navigation fluide, de paiements rapides et d’un support réactif. Idéal pour les amateurs de sport et de jeux de casino.