Formation of Volatile Radioiodine Compounds in Sodium Pool Burning

Abstract

In sodium pool burning occurring in the case of an LMFBR accident, some radio-iodine in the sodium coolant may be transported into the gas phase and act in common with sodium oxide aerosol. If some iodine is converted to volatile compounds, the radioactivity may remain for many hours in the gas phase of the reactor containment. The present work was carried out in an attempt to throw more light on these circumstances.

Reactor-grade sodium with sodium iodide tagged with ¹³¹I in an amount of about 1 ppm was burned by heating in a closed vessel containing air. Most of the iodine released into the gas phase took the form of aerosol, but some amount remained in vaporous state. It was determined by Maypacks and radio-gaschromatography that the volatile radio-iodine compounds were of organic form. The proportion of organic iodide referred to total airborne iodine in the present experiments falls within the experimental data on what will be formed in a loss of coolant accident involving a light water reactor. It is concluded that volatile iodine formation would present similar aspects under accidental conditions affecting both LWR and FBR, though the mechanisms governing the two cases would be different.

KEYWORDS:

• accidents
• LMFBR type reactors
• sodium pool burning
• volatile radioiodine
• organic iodine compounds
• methyl iodides
• sodium oxide aerosol
• radio-gaschromatography
• iodine 131
• sodium radioactive aerosols