Surface enhanced Raman scattering as an in-reactor monitor of phenomena of interest to the Nuclear Power Industry

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is proposed as a technique for monitoring in situ the passive films and corrosion products that form on the surfaces of alloys of interest in nuclear power plants. The technique is a highly sensitive procedure for detecting even very small quantities of species present on surfaces, in particular the surface of metallic alloys. The data could, for example, identify the constituents in passive films that are less than a monolayer in average thickness. Processes such as 60Co pick-up could be monitored in real time. In fact, if it is known that incorporation of 60Co occurs when a particular oxide film forms on the surface of the alloy, then measurement of the SER spectra could indicate when such films are beginning to form and thereby provide an early indication that conditions inside the reactor are now suitable for 60Co pick-up in the passive films