Iodine partition coefficient measurements at simulated PWR steam generator conditions: Interim data report

Iodine partition coefficients (defined as the ratio of the concentration of iodine species in the aqueous solution to the iodine concentration in the vapor phase) were measured at simulated PWR steam generator conditions (285C and 6.9 MPa), using carrier-free radioactive T I in the form of sodium iodide. The iodine tracer concentration was maintained at approx.6 x 10 mol/L; boric acid concentration was varied from 0 to 0.4 mol/L; and the solution pH (measured at 25C) was adjusted from 4 to 9 by the addition of lithium hydroxide. Iodine partition coefficients decrease with increasing boric acid concentration; however, the iodine volatility is essentially independent of the solution pH for a given boric acid concentration. Sparging the solutions with air at room temperature increases the iodine volatility by an order of magnitude, compared to that achieved with argon sparging. Iodine partition coefficient measurements ranged from a low of 200 (in 0.2 M boric acid sparged with air) to 400,000 (in purified water sparged with argon).