Determination of the super( 14)C Content in Activated Steel Components from a Neutron Spallation Source and a Nuclear Power Plant

The 14C content in activated steel components from the Swiss Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Gosgen and the Spallation Neutron Source SINQ at the Paul Scherrer Institute is determined using a wet chemistry digestion technique and liquid scintillation counting for 14C activity measurements. The 14C activity of an activated fuel assembly steel nut from the NPP is further compared with theoretical predictions made on the basis of a Monte Carlo reactor model for this NPP. Knowledge of the 14C inventory in these activated steel materials is important in conjunction with future corrosion studies on these materials aimed at identifying the 14C containing organic compounds possibly formed in the cement-based near field of a repository for radioactive waste.