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8. The Universal Nuclide Chart

Figure 8.1 The Universal Nuclide Chart main user interface. The Nuclide Chart Viewer shows a section of the nuclide chart centred on U238. The window opens with U238 as default nuclide, Karlsruhe as default colour scheme, and 15 15 as the default chart size. The basic decay and cross section data are also shown

The Universal Nuclide Chart (UNC) can be accessed from the Nuclide Explorer taskbar (shown below).

8.1 User Interface: Nuclide Chart Viewer

The Universal Nuclide Chart can be regarded as a light version of Nuclides.net. The program module is resident on the user computer and

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does not require access to the Nuclides.net web-server. The data required for the program are contained in a thin database which comes with the CD. In addition to displaying basic data in nuclides charts, the Universal Nuclide Chart [1] can be used to simulate decay chains of nuclides and reaction paths in nuclear reactors. The main user interface is shown in Fig. 8.1.

8.2 Nuclide Chart Viewer

In the Nuclide Chart Viewer taskbar, shown below, there are various user denable settings. These are described in the following sections.

8.2.1 Basic Settings There are several basic settings which can be made under the Options button on the taskbar. The rst is the choice of language for the element names. The element names shown in the taskbar can be set to English, German, French, and Spanish. The second refers to the colour scheme to be shown in the nuclide chart. In addition to the ITU scheme, the Karlsruhe, Strasbourg, General Electric, and JAERI schemes can be selected corresponding to the paper-based nuclide charts.

In the File button on the taskbar, there are six nuclides listed Uub283, Fm251, Re185, Sn118, Mn55, and N15. These nuclides are located at key positions in the nuclide chart. Selection of one of these nuclides will allow fast access to the region of interest. In addition, the last six nuclides used are listed below the separator. This is useful for returning quickly to a nuclide previously selected. 8.2.2 View Basic Decay and Cross Section Data It can be seen from Fig. 8.1. that the selected nuclide is highlighted with a red border. The basic decay and cross section data is also shown to the left of the nuclide chart. To view the basic data for other nuclides one need only place the mouse cursor over the nuclide of interest (without pressing the mouse button). The following data is given as far as available for approximately 3000 nuclides and some 600 isomers: half-life,

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decay modes, daughter products, branching ratios, abundances, two most important gamma lines and emission probabilites, thermal neutron cross sections, burnout-time. For likely ssion products, the chain yield of the isobar is given for the thermal ssion of 233 U, 235 U and 239 Pu. 8.2.3 Navigation Navigation through the nuclide chart can be performed in two different ways. The rst method is to place the mouse cursor over the nuclide in the top right or bottom left corner of the nuclide chart and press the left or right mouse button. A new selection of the nuclide chart is then shown, centred on the selected nuclide. By repeating this process one can quickly scan through the nuclide chart to the region of interest. Alternatively, the nuclide can be selected directly in the Select Nuclide list boxes as explained in the following section. 8.2.4 Select Nuclide The default values can of course be changed by the user. To select an element, the user should place the cursor over the black triangle in the element box below the Select Nuclide button and click the left mouse button. By typing in the rst letter of the chemical symbol, the list box will contain all elements arranged in alphabetical order with this as starting letter. If the chemical symbol is not known, the element name can be selected in one of four languages from the element name list box. The element can then be selected from this list. Once the element has been selected, the isotope mass box will contain a list of all isotopes of this element for which there is data. On placing the cursor over the black triangle in the isotope mass list box and clicking the left mouse button, the user can then select the appropriate isotope. The m or n after the mass indicates that this is the metastable state of the isotope. Once the nuclide has been selected, its position is shown centred in the nuclide chart by pressing the Start button. 8.2.5 Colour Scheme Five different colour schemes are available from the Colour Scheme button corresponding to the paper-based nuclide charts in use in various parts of the world: Karlsruhe Colour Scheme, where the colours depend on the main mode of decay (alpha, , + , IT, n, SF, p, ec, stable). Strasbourg Colour Scheme in which different colours are used for the decay processes. General Electric Colour Scheme. Here the colours depend on the halflives of the nuclides (<1 d, 110 d, 10100 d, 100d10 y, 10y5 108 y, Stable), not on the decay mode.

Select Nuclide

Element name

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JAERI Colour Scheme, where different colours are used for half-lives under 10 minutes, between 10 minutes and 30 days, 30 days and 5 108 years and stable nuclides. ITU Colour Scheme, which shows the main mode of decay as in the Karlsruhe Colour Scheme. The default colour scheme is Karlsruhe. 8.2.6 Chart Size A variety of chart sizes can be selected ranging from 5 5 (showing maximum 25 nuclides) to 15 15 (where up to 225 nuclides can be shown e.g. Er-162). Clearly, it is desirable to show as many nuclides as possible. With more powerful computers, the user can select the 15 15 chart without noticing the time it requires to load this data. On less powerful machines, this time can be signicant, and it is recommended that the user select a smaller section chart with fewer nuclides. 8.2.7 Colour The possibility of changing the background colour has been implemented. This is useful, for example, if the user needs to make a screenshot of the application with a specic background colour. The background colour selector is shown in Fig. 8.2.

Figure 8.2 The background colour selector

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8.2.8 Decay Chain and Reaction Path Two applications can be reached from the chart window in Fig. 8.1 by clicking on one of the dedicated buttons: the Decay Chain Simulator (button Decay Chain) and the Neutron Reaction Path Simulator (button Reaction Path). These two applications are treated in more detail below.

8.3 Radioactive Decay Chain Simulator

The radioactive decay chain simulator window is shown in Fig. 8.3. The application simulates radioactive decay for over 3000 nuclides in two different arrangements (normal and compact plots) and with ve different standard colour schemes. The Selected Nuclide, in this case 238 U selected from the Nuclide Chart Viewer in Fig. 8.1, is shown in the box in the top left hand side of the window. The decay chain for this nuclide is shown in the main frame of the window. The decay process is simulated on a Z vs. N nuclide chart, labelled Normal Plot in the taskbar, with the Z and N axes shown. Alternatively, a more compact description of the decay process based on a plot of A 2Z vs. Z , can be selected through Compact Plot.

Figure 8.3 Decay Chain Simulator showing the decay of 238 U

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In the same manner as in the Nuclide Chart Viewer, to view the basic data one need only place the mouse cursor over the nuclide of interest (without pressing the mouse button). In the following, the input selectors in the taskbar are described in more detail. 8.3.1 Time Step Here the user can see the decay process in slow motion by changing the time interval in which the daughters are painted onto the screen. The value is given in milliseconds with a default value of 200 ms. By increasing the time interval to 600, for example, the decay process will be painted at one third of the default speed onto the screen. 8.3.2 Start/Stop With the Start button, the user starts the simulation with the chosen selections. During the simulation, the applet can be stopped at any time by pressing the Stop button. With the simulation halted, it is only possible to change the time-step, and then to restart. As soon as the simulation is completed, the Stop button is automatically changed to a Start button and all input and selection elds are again enabled. 8.3.3 Plot As mentioned above, there are two different ways of showing the simulation. The rst one is the Normal Plot where the number of protons Z in the nuclide is shown as a function of the number of neutrons N .

Figure 8.4 Decay Chain Simulator: decay of 238 U Compact Plot

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The second plot is the Compact Plot. In this case the quantity A 2Z is shown as a function of the number of protons Z , where A is the atomic number (N + Z). This leads to a more compact representation of the decay scheme as shown in Fig. 8.4. 8.3.4 Th232/U235/U238 With these buttons the user can simulate the three natural decay families (Th232, U235 and U238) directly. These nuclides can of course also be selected through the use of the drop-down menus. 8.3.5 MinBR (%) (Minimum Branching Ratio) The branching ratio refers to the fraction of daughter nuclides produced from a parent nuclide in the decay process. For some processes, such as cluster emission (discovered in the 1980s), the branching ratios are extremely small. In the decay of a parent nuclide, if all daughters are shown, the decay chain will show many nuclides some of which are only present in tiny amounts. For this reason a minimum branching ratio, MinBR, can be set which allows the user to see only daughters with branching ratios higher than MinBR. If MinBR is set to zero, all daughters are shown including extremely rare events such as cluster emission. In Fig. 8.5 the decay of U234 is shown. As can be seen from the basic decay data, U234 shows cluster emission of both Mg28 and Ne24+Ne26 to give Hg206 and Hf184 respectively. The default value is MinBR = 104 %.

Figure 8.5 Decay of U234 with MinBR = 0, i.e. showing all decay processes such as cluster emission. Cluster emission of Ne24+Ne26 from U234 gives rise to Hf184

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8.3.6 E(MeV) Nuclides with high gamma activity can be indicated in the Decay Chain Simulator through blinking. The eld E(MeV) shows the threshold gamma energy per disintegration in mega electron volt (MeV) to initiate blinking". This can be changed also while the simulation is running. As decimal separator, a point (.) must be used. The default value is 0.5 MeV, and this is also used when the user deletes the contents of the eld. Metastable states of nuclides are indicated by a small insert in the top right corner of the element box. If they have the same colour, a black border around the metastable state is used to differentiate it from the ground state. If only the metastable state is part of the decay chain, this is shown in the correct colour and the rest of the box is transparent. If there is no information available on a daughter product, this is shown transparent and the decay scheme ends there. Also, if all branching ratios of a nuclide are less than the threshold value for the branching ratio or the branching ratios are not known, the nuclide is shown transparent with no further daughters.

8.4 Neutron Reaction Path Simulator

The Neutron Reaction Path Simulator window is shown in Fig. 8.6. This application indicates the main neutron reactions likely to occur with the

Figure 8.6 Neutron Reaction Path Simulator: transmutation of Th232 in a thermal neutron ux

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selected nuclide in a nuclear reactor with a thermal neutron spectrum, i.e. in most light water reactors (LWRs). The neutron reactions occurring are based on the cross sections, the burnout time and the half-life of the selected nuclide. The Selected Nuclide, in this case Th232 selected from the Nuclide Chart Viewer, is shown in the box in the top left hand side of the window in Fig. 8.6. The neutron reaction path for this nuclide is shown in the main frame of the window. 8.4.1 Neutron Flux The neutron ux can be set in the taskbar in Fig. 8.6. The default value of the neutron ux is 3 1014 neutrons cm2 s1 typical of light water reactors. 8.4.2 Reaction Index The reaction index, which can also be set in the taskbar, indicates the number of activation products to be taken into account. In Fig. 8.6, this value is set to 20 and the rst 20 activation products are shown in the main window. The default value is 10. 8.4.3 Time Step Here the user can see the activation or transmutation process in slow motion by changing the time interval in which the products are painted onto the screen. The value is given in milliseconds with a default value of 500 ms. By increasing the time interval to 1500, for example, the transmutation will be painted at one third of the default speed onto the screen. As explained in Sect. 2.3.3, depending on the thermal neutron ux, there is a competition between decay and burnout processes. Consider the

Figure 8.7 The reaction path of Th232 in a high thermal ux. Notice that the production of U233 as shown in Fig. 8.6 is bypassed

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case of Th232 in a thermal neutron ux. With a half-life of 1.4 1010 y and a burnout time of 9.9 y, the nuclide will transmute to Th233. This nuclide has a half-life (22 m) shorter than the burnout time (18 d) and will decay to Pa233. This protactinium isotope has a half-life of 27 d and a burnout time of 1.8 y. It will therefore decay preferentially to the ssile isotope U233. This uranium isotope is highly desirable in the thermal reactor since it ssions to produce energy. If however the ux in the reactor increases, the burnout time decreases. This implies that more Pa234 (which decays to U234) is produced at the expense of U233. This can be demonstrated by setting the ux to a very high value of 5 1015 neutrons cm2 s1 and restarting the calculation. The reaction path in this very high ux is shown in Fig. 8.7. On the other hand, in a low thermal neutron ux the decay process will predominate over the burnout process. The reaction path will be essentially the decay chain. 8.4.4 Reaction Products In general, a nuclide in a nuclear reactor can transform via three main processes: by radioactive decay to one or more daughter products by neutron (radiative) capture to a nuclide with a mass increase of 1 by neutron induced ssion to ssion products In some cases, all three processes can occur. As an example consider the nuclide Pu241. The nuclide has a half-life of = 14.3 y, and capture and ssion cross-sections of 361.6 b and 1013 b respectively. In a neutron ux of = 3 1014 cm2 s1 , the burnout time is bo = 19.4 d. The branching ratios for decay, capture, and ssion are: BRdecay = /[ + (c + f ) ] = 0.004 or 0.4% BRcapture = f /[ + (c + f ) ] = 0.263 or 26.3% BRssion = c /[ + (c + f ) ] = 0.733 or 73.3% with the sum of the branching ratios equal to 1. In this example of Pu241, the reaction products are U237 (through alpha decay), Pu242 (through neutron capture), and ssion products. Clearly, a single nuclide can give rise to a number of reaction products. These reaction products will also transform in the reactor through the above processes and quickly give rise to a great number of nuclides. In the Reaction Path Simulator, painting all these nuclides onto the screen would just lead to confusion. In most cases, however, the branching ratios for many of these reaction products are quite small and the corresponding processes can be neglected. For this reason, in the Reaction Path Simulator, only the main reaction product with the highest branching ratio (in the above example this is Pu242) is shown.

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Acknowledgements
This chapter was compiled with the assistance of Ms. Yvonne Galla and Dr. Jean Galy. Ms. Galla developed the Universal Nuclide Chart program module.

References
1. J. Magill, Y. Galla, J. Galy: The Universal Nuclide Chart: An Interactive Java-based Chart, Technical Report JRC-ITU-TN-2001/29, Institute for Transuranium Elements, 2001