Radiolytic Production of Fluorine Gas from MSR Relevant Fluoride Salts

Radiolytic fluorine gas production at temperatures of 40 degrees C to 60 degrees C was investigated for the fluoride salts LiF, BeF2, UF4, ThF4, and 71.7LiF-16BeF(2)-12.3UF(4) (FliBe-UF4) by gamma irradiation of powdered samples using spent fuel elements from the High Flux Reactor (HFR) Petten as the irradiation source; work of a similar nature was previously performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the period 1965 to 1995. Gamma irradiation was conducted for just over 41 days, with total absorbed gamma dose ranging from similar to 4511/1Gy for the lightest salts to similar to 17011/1Gy for ThF4 and UF4. By measuring the gas pressure within salt-filled capsules during irradiation, it was possible to quantify radiolytic gas production for all salt samples except UF4. Production rates are reported as the salt G-values, measured as number of fluorine molecules produced per 100 eV of energy absorbed (molecules F-2/100 eV). The G-values of the salts were found to be G(LiF) similar to 0.004, G(BeF2) similar to 0.009, G(ThF4) similar to 0.021, and G(FLiBe-UF4) similar to 0.005.