Investigations on the thermal release of iodine from liquid eutectic lead-bismuth alloy

Summary The release of iodine from liquid eutectic lead-bismuth alloy (LBE) under a flowing Ar/7%H 2 atmosphere has been studied in a temperature range from 428 to 1223 K using γ-ray spectroscopy. During short-term experiments, significant amounts of iodine evaporate from liquid LBE at temperatures higher than 800 K. Long-term experiments reveal that the release of iodine at temperatures of relevance to technical applications, such as liquid metal spallation targets or Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS), is below our detection limits for periods up to 7 days. The release rate is determined by the desorption/evaporation process rather than by diffusion within the liquid alloy.