The influence of impurities on the evaporation behavior of Po from liquid Pb–Bi eutectic at high temperatures

Abstract This study presents an in-depth analysis of the polonium evaporation from high-energy and high-intensity proton-irradiated liquid lead-bismuth eutectic. The applied experimental conditions closely mimic those encountered within an accelerator-driven nuclear reactor, particularly focusing on the interaction of other impurities with polonium. Utilizing proton-irradiated lead-bismuth eutectic with an impurity spectrum similar to that of a real reactor, this research establishes reliable data for the polonium evaporation in the presence of said impurities, employing the transpiration method. The results agree well with those of prior model experiments using pure lead-bismuth eutectic. This indicates that the other coexisting impurities have a negligible impact on the polonium evaporation. The good agreement of the experimental values with literature data emphasizes the reliability of the applied methods and the robustness of the current understanding. These findings have significant implications for the operation and safety assessment of heavy metal-cooled nuclear reactors and support the advancement of Generation IV accelerator-driven systems.