scholarly journals A Review of In Situ Isotopic Studies of the Oklo and Bangombé Natural Fission Reactors Using Microbeam Analytical Techniques

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1060
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Hidaka
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Reactions ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Laser Probe ◽  
The Past ◽  
Isotopic Analyses ◽  
Isotopic Studies ◽  
Reactor Materials ◽  
Fission Reactors

Isotopic analyses of elements in the natural reactor materials have often been performed to understand the distribution behaviors of the fission products and to evaluate the function of nuclear reactions since the first discovery of a natural reactor in 1972. Several types of unique microminerals, including significant amounts of fission products, have been found in and around the Oklo and the Bangombé natural reactors. In the past two decades, microbeam techniques using ion and laser probe facilities have been effectively applied for the in situ isotopic analyses of individual microminerals to investigate the migration behaviors of fissiogenic radioisotopes produced in the reactors. This paper presents a review of interpretations of the isotopic results of microminerals found in and around the natural reactors.

The Use of Advanced Analytical Techniques for Characterization of the Chemical, Physical, and Crystallographic Nature of a Surface

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 132-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Herfert
Keyword(s):  
Surface Characterization ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Depth Of Penetration ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Past ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Scanning Electron

Studies of the nature of a surface, either metallic or nonmetallic, in the past, have been limited to the instrumentation available for these measurements. In the past, optical microscopy, replica transmission electron microscopy, electron or X-ray diffraction and optical or X-ray spectroscopy have provided the means of surface characterization. Actually, some of these techniques are not purely surface; the depth of penetration may be a few thousands of an inch. Within the last five years, instrumentation has been made available which now makes it practical for use to study the outer few 100A of layers and characterize it completely from a chemical, physical, and crystallographic standpoint. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) provides a means of viewing the surface of a material in situ to magnifications as high as 250,000X.

In Situ Isotopic Analysis of Uraninite Microstructures from the Oklo-Okélobondo Natural Fission Reactors, Gabon

2002 ◽  
Vol 713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Fayek ◽  
Keld A. Jensen ◽  
Rodney C. Ewing ◽  
Lee R. Riciputi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Chain Reactions ◽  
Isotopic Analyses ◽  
Fission Reactors

ABSTRACTUranium deposits can provide important information on the long-term performance of radioactive waste forms because uraninite (UO2+X) is similar to the UO2 in spent nuclear fuel. The Oklo-Okélobondo U-deposits, Gabon, serve as natural laboratory where the long-term (hundreds to billions of years) migration of uranium and other radionuclides can be studied over large spatial scales (nm to km). The natural fission reactors associated with the Oklo- Okélobondo U-deposits occur over a range of depths (100 to 400 m) and provide a unique opportunity to study the behavior of uraninite in near surface oxidizing environments versus more reducing conditions at depth. Previously, it has been difficult to constrain the timing of interaction between U-rich minerals and post-depositional fluids. These problems are magnified because uraninite is susceptible to alteration, it continuously self-anneals radiation damage, and because these processes are manifested at the nm to μm scale. Uranium, lead and oxygen isotopes can be used to study fluid-uraninite interaction, provided that the analyses are obtained on the micro-scale. Secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS) permits in situ measurement of isotopic ratios with a spatial resolution on the scale of a few μm. Preliminary U-Pb results show that uraninite from all reactor zones are highly discordant with ages aaproaching the timing of fission chain reactions (1945±50 Ma) and resetting events at 1180±47 Ma and 898±46 Ma. Oxygen isotopic analyses show that uraninite from reactors that occur in near surface environments (δ18O= −14.4‰ to −8.5‰) have reacted more extensively with groundwater of meteoric origin relative to reactors located at greater depths (μ18O= −10.2‰ to −7.3‰). This study emphasizes the importance of using in situ high spatial resolution analysis techniques for natural analogue studies.

Uraninites of the Oklo Reactors: O Isotopes and Mineralogical Data

1997 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pourcelot ◽  
F. Gauthier-Lafaye
Keyword(s):  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Isotopic Analyses ◽  
O Isotopes ◽  
Clay Matrix ◽  
Oxygen Isotopic ◽  
Fission Reactors

Natural fission reactors located in the uranium ore deposits of Oklo-Okélobondo and Bangombé (Gabon) are a unique case of natural nuclear waste disposal. The Reactor Zones (RZ) (up to fifteen) cores are made of 60% uranium (UO2) embedded in a clay matrix [1]. The uraninites are depleted in 235U and contain fission products. Therefore, they are considered to be good analogues for spent nuclear fuel matrix [2]. The aim of this work is to study the conditions of preservation over a long periode of time of the uraninites which have been sumitted to interraction with fluid having different oxidizing potential. For this purposes mineralogical (X-ray powder diffraction), chemical (electron microprobe) and oxygen isotopic analyses were performed on uraninites from various RZs.

Nuclear Processes Related to the Ap Stars and the Heaviest Chemical Elements

1976 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 169-182
Author(s):  
B. Kuchowicz
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Physics ◽  
Nuclear Reactions ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Abundance Pattern ◽  
Isotopic Shifts ◽  
Processed Material ◽  
R Process ◽  
Ap Stars ◽  
Nuclear Processes

SummaryIsotopic shifts in the lines of the heavy elements in Ap stars, and the characteristic abundance pattern of these elements point to the fact that we are observing mainly the products of rapid neutron capture. The peculiar A stars may be treated as the show windows for the products of a recent r-process in their neighbourhood. This process can be located either in Supernovae exploding in a binary system in which the present Ap stars were secondaries, or in Supernovae exploding in young clusters. Secondary processes, e.g. spontaneous fission or nuclear reactions with highly abundant fission products, may occur further with the r-processed material in the surface of the Ap stars. The role of these stars to the theory of nucleosynthesis and to nuclear physics is emphasized.

In situ microprobe quantitation of inorganic particle burden in paraffin sections of lung tissue

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 990-991
Author(s):  
Jerrold L. Abraham
Keyword(s):  
Lung Tissue ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Particulate Material ◽  
Paraffin Sections ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The Past ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Data Result

Inorganic particulate material of diverse types is present in the ambient and occupational environment, and exposure to such materials is a well recognized cause of some lung disease. To investigate the interaction of inhaled inorganic particulates with the lung it is necessary to obtain quantitative information on the particulate burden of lung tissue in a wide variety of situations. The vast majority of diagnostic and experimental tissue samples (biopsies and autopsies) are fixed with formaldehyde solutions, dehydrated with organic solvents and embedded in paraffin wax. Over the past 16 years, I have attempted to obtain maximal analytical use of such tissue with minimal preparative steps. Unique diagnostic and research data result from both qualitative and quantitative analyses of sections. Most of the data has been related to inhaled inorganic particulates in lungs, but the basic methods are applicable to any tissues. The preparations are primarily designed for SEM use, but they are stable for storage and transport to other laboratories and several other instruments (e.g., for SIMS techniques).

A very rapid in situ Kikuchi technique to determine relative crystal misorientation

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 830-831
Author(s):  
J. I. Bennetch
Keyword(s):  
Electron Beam ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Superplastic Forming ◽  
The Other ◽  
Kikuchi Pattern ◽  
Kikuchi Line ◽  
Line Analysis

In a recent study of the superplastic forming (SPF) behavior of certain Al-Li-X alloys, the relative misorientation between adjacent (sub)grains proved to be an important parameter. It is well established that the most accurate way to determine misorientation across boundaries is by Kikuchi line analysis. However, the SPF study required the characterization of a large number of (sub)grains in each sample to be statistically meaningful, a very time-consuming task even for comparatively rapid Kikuchi analytical techniques.In order to circumvent this problem, an alternate, even more rapid in-situ Kikuchi technique was devised, eliminating the need for the developing of negatives and any subsequent measurements on photographic plates. All that is required is a double tilt low backlash goniometer capable of tilting ± 45° in one axis and ± 30° in the other axis. The procedure is as follows. While viewing the microscope screen, one merely tilts the specimen until a standard recognizable reference Kikuchi pattern is centered, making sure, at the same time, that the focused electron beam remains on the (sub)grain in question.

An atomic-resolution microscope study of Al contracts on GaAs

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 726-727
Author(s):  
Z. Liliental-Weber ◽  
C. Nelson ◽  
R. Ludeke ◽  
R. Gronsky ◽  
J. Washburn
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Schottky Contacts ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
The Past ◽  
Semiconductor Interfaces ◽  
Deposited Metal ◽  
Microwave Applications ◽  
Free Interfaces ◽  
Potential Use

The properties of metal/semiconductor interfaces have received considerable attention over the past few years, and the Al/GaAs system is of special interest because of its potential use in high-speed logic integrated optics, and microwave applications. For such materials a detailed knowledge of the geometric and electronic structure of the interface is fundamental to an understanding of the electrical properties of the contact. It is well known that the properties of Schottky contacts are established within a few atomic layers of the deposited metal. Therefore surface contamination can play a significant role. A method for fabricating contamination-free interfaces is absolutely necessary for reproducible properties, and molecularbeam epitaxy (MBE) offers such advantages for in-situ metal deposition under UHV conditions

The evolution of the microstructure of 600 Mev proton irradiated materials

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1002-1003
Author(s):  
R. Gotthardt ◽  
A. Horsewell ◽  
F. Paschoud ◽  
S. Proennecke ◽  
M. Victoria
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Reactions ◽  
Dislocation Loops ◽  
Defect Clusters ◽  
Weak Beam ◽  
Stacking Fault Tetrahedra ◽  
Small Defect ◽  
Sufficient Intensity ◽  
Reactor Materials ◽  
Metallic Impurities ◽  
Beam Technique

Fusion reactor materials will be damaged by an intense field of energetic neutrons. There is no neutron source of sufficient intensity at these energies available at present, so the material properties are being correlated with those obtained in irradiation with other irradiation sorces. Irradiation with 600 MeV protons produces both displacement damage and impurities due to nuclear reactions. Helium and hydrogen are produced as gaseous impurities. Other metallic impurities are also created . The main elements of the microstructure observed after irradiation in the PIREX facility, are described in the following paragraphs.A. Defect clusters at low irradiation doses: In specimens irradiated to very low doses (1021-1024 protons.m-2), so that there is no superimposition of contrast, small defect clusters have been observed by the weak beam technique. Detailed analysis of the visible contrast (>0.5 nm diameter) revealed the presence of stacking fault tetrahedra, dislocation loops and a certain number of unidentified clusters . Typical results in Cu and Au are shown in Fig. 1.

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