Laboratory scale melt experiments with 241Am, 55Fe and 60Co traced austenitic steel scrap

During the lifetime of nuclear facilities such as NPPs, Fuel Enrichment Plants, Fuel Fabrication Plants and Reprocessing Plants, some components are decommissioned. The scrap from NPPs is contaminated with β, γ-emitters, mainly with corrosion product radionuclides. The large-scale meltdown of these components has been demonstrated in the FRG in the past. This scrap has been converted into new cast components for re-use in nuclear facilities. So far, only radionuclides which could be detected by γ-spectrometry have been measured in the melt and slag. The investigation is now extended to radionuclides such as Fe 55, Ni 63 and Sr 90 which are hard to measure. Fe 55 was selected for the laboratory-scale melt experiment. This radionuclide is homogeneously distributed in the metal melt just as Co 60. Thus, Co 60 can be used as an isotopic indicator for this E-emitter. Scrap originating from Fuel Enrichment and Fuel Fabrication Plants is only contaminated with uranium elements. Orientating laboratory-scale meltdown runs with such scrap resulted in the release of these actinides into the slag