Characterization of solid particles sampled from condensates in boiling water reactor

The growth, activation and deposition of corrosion products are the primary sources of radiation buildup on the surface of out-of-core piping in nuclear power plants. The buildup of radiation can have negative effects on the performance of the facility and cause harm to staff during maintenance outages for refueling. This paper reports on the crystalline and amorphous structures of corrosion products sampled in the boiling water reactors in nuclear power plants of Kuo-Sheng and identified using an acid dissolving technique. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microprobe and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy were used to analyze the samples. The results indicate that the quantity of amorphous iron oxide at inlet of the condensate demineralizer in Unit 2 is higher than that in Unit 1. The proportion of crystalline to amorphous corrosion products can affect the efficiency of removal. Thus, these results can be used to explain the difference in removal efficiency of condensate demineralizers in different units. Moreover, the iron oxide structures with various properties were observed in different operational periods. It is probable that the higher proportion of amorphous structures with a smaller particle size would reduce efficiency in the removal of condensate demineralization in Unit 2. (authors)