An Isotope to save the Day During nuclear power plant emergencies, boric acid can prevent nuclear chain reactions – if the concentration is just right. The contrAA 800 determines whether this is the case.

During nuclear power plant emergencies, boric acid can prevent nuclear chain reactions – if the concentration is just right. The contrAA 800 determines whether this is the case.

Nuclear power plants are a reality all across the world. And the risks they pose are indeed universal. But now, as Marina Mukhina, Analytik Jena Regional Manager responsible for Russia and the CIS region, explained: "We have developed a method that can help prevent nuclear chain reactions."

Boric acid is one of the main chemicals used to ensure safety in twocircuit nuclear power plants. The boron-10 (¹⁰B) isotope is able to stop atomic chain reactions by absorbing thermal neutrons, while the boron-11 isotope (¹¹B) is not. There needs to be a sufficient quantity of boron-10 present in order to prevent catastrophe, and it is therefore of vital importance that the ratio of the two isotopes is determined with accuracy.

Analyzing which boron isotope is prevalent and whether enough boron-10 is on hand is a complex task – but one that Analytik Jena’s unique contrAA 800 instrument is perfectly suited to carry out. It involves the use of both innovative new approaches as well as tried-and-tested methods.

Over the past ten years, Analytik Jena in Russia has worked together with Nevalab of St. Petersburg, a provider of lab equipment for the energy industry, to develop a method that can determine the intensity ratio between the two isotopes using atomic spectrometry. The contrAA 800 provides more sensitive and accurate measurement results than previously used methods that were more expensive and involved greater technical intricacy. Marina Mukhina explained that the process is well suited for use in nuclear power plants all across the globe: “It is our hope that this will take off from Russia and be adopted worldwide. Nuclear power plant safety should never be placed in jeopardy.” Mukhina added: “We are often unaware of the treasures that our instruments have in store for us. This example depicts this particularly well. Just as the idea of controlling the risks of atomic power using the contrAA 800 may seem obvious to us now, I’m certain that there are similarly significant applications that we aren’t aware of yet.”

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