Radioactive iron is produced by neutron activation of stable iron. Its concentration in reactor coolant is used to monitor the corrosion of reactor parts such as reactor fuel-cladding material and reactor structural components.
This technique effectively removes other activation and fission products such as isotopes of iodine, zinc, manganese, cobalt, and cesium by the addition of hold-back carriers and an anion exchange technique. The fission products (zirconium-95 and niobium-95) are selectively eluted with hydrochloric-hydrofluoric acid washes. The iron is finally separated from Zn+2 by precipitation of FePO4 at a pH of 3.0.
1.1 This test method covers the determination of 55Fe in the presence of 59Fe by liquid scintillation counting. The a-priori minimum detectable concentration for this test method is 7.4 Bq/L.
1.2 This test method was developed principally for the quantitative determination of 55Fe. However, after proper calibration of the liquid scintillation counter with reference standards of each nuclide, 59Fe may also be quantified.
1.3 This test method was used successfully with Type III reagent water conforming to Specification D 1193
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For a specific hazard statement, see Section 9.
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