Atomic Energy of Canada Limited

About: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a company organization based out in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Neutron & Zirconium alloy. The organization has 4845 authors who have published 4826 publications receiving 102951 citations.

A Mercury saturation assay for measuring metallothionein in fish

Abstract: An accurate, rapid, sensitive, and simple method using mercury saturation for quantifying metallothionein (MT) is described. A complex solution (“pseudocytosol”) of enzymatic and non-enzymatic thiols, including rabbit liver MT-II, and supernatants from homogenized samples of rainbow trout liver were incubated in the presence of 203Hg in 10% trichloroacetic acid Excess Hg was bound to and removed by chicken egg albumin, which denatured on contact with the acidic assay medium. After centrifugation, MT labeled with 203Hg remained in the TCA supernatant and was estimated using known stoichiometry for Hg-MT binding. A dilution series was used to establish that nonspecific metal binding, a common problem with other metal saturation assays, is negligible. Analysis of hepatic MT with high Cu content from rainbow trout demonstrated virtually complete displacement of Cu, Cd, and Zn by Hg. When compared to other metal-saturation assays developed for vertebrates, this method requires the least number of technical steps, and one-third or less of total preparatory and analytical time.

Current State of Knowledge of Water Radiolysis Effects on Spent Nuclear Fuel Corrosion

Abstract: Literature data on the effect of water radiolysis products on spent-fuel oxidation and dissolution are reviewed. Effects of gamma radiolysis, alpha radiolysis, and dissolved O{sub 2} or H{sub 2}O{sub 2} in unirradiated solutions are discussed separately. Also, the effect of carbonate in gamma-irradiated solutions and radiolysis effects on leaching of spent fuel are reviewed. In addition, a kinetic model for calculating the corrosion rates of UO{sub 2} in solutions undergoing radiolysis is discussed. The model gives good agreement between calculated and measured corrosion rates in the case of gamma radiolysis and in unirradiated solutions containing dissolved oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. However, the model fails to predict the results of alpha radiolysis. In a recent study, it was shown that the model gave good agreement with measured corrosion rates of spent fuel exposed in deionized water. The applications of radiolysis studies for geologic disposal of used nuclear fuel are discussed.

Ranges of some light ions measured by (p, γ) resonance broadening

Abstract: Concentration distributions of 13C, 23Na, 26Mg, 27 Al, and 34S ions implanted in tantalum and of 29Si ions implanted in aluminum have been measured in the energy range 20-100 keV by means of the broadening of a (p, γ) resonance yield curve. Proton energy straggling is included in the analysis in an improved manner. Mean ranges in these polycrystalline targets were found to be larger than those predicted by the Lindhard—Scharff-SchiOtt theory valid for amorphous targets. Range profiles of 27Al in Ta2O5 and of 29Si ions in Al2O3, both amorphous materials, were found to agree well with theory. Relevance to nuclear Doppler-shift attenuation measurements, which are done in polycrystalline targets, is discussed. It is necessary in comparing theory and experiment to take account of the fraction of reflections; the calculated reflection coefficients are given.