Sensor systems for precise location of depleted uranium in soil and for enhancing the recovery of both zero valence and uranium oxides
- Mississippi State Univ., Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET), Starkville, MS (United States)
Depleted uranium (DU) has been the primary material used for the past two decades by the US military in armor piercing rounds. Domestic firing ranges that have been used for DU training purposes are located around the country and vary with regard to soil type, depth of vadose zone, and extent of contamination with other types of projectiles. A project is underway to develop a set of sensor systems to locate expended DU rounds and to process soil and debris to recover the material. Reactivity of zero valence DU material, even in dry sandy soils, results in rapid oxidation and diffusion of uranium minerals within the soil column. Detection techniques must be robust for both metallic and uranyl species. Radiological sensor techniques including both gamma spectroscopy and prompt gamma neutron analysis are being used in conjunction with electromagnetic imaging to locate the DU for excavation. Detection limits for both zero valence DU (ZVDU) and oxidized material will be discussed. Applicability of active and passive optical methods, such as spectral imaging and fluorescence spectroscopy, will be discussed as aids for achieving clean soil margins while excavating DU materials. Instrumentation selection for controlling processing equipment used to separate ZVDU and uranyl species from contaminated soil and debris will also be discussed. Preliminary findings for use of sodium iodide detectors and multichannel analyzer software are discussed for locating 25 and 105 mm DU penetrators. Optimum detector height of 15 cm (six inches) and detection depths up to 15 cm are discussed. A comparison of detector response of the Geonics EM61 MKII electromagnetic induction unit for DU and ferrous materials is reported. Difficulty of locating small DU penetrators using the one meter detection coil and differences in detector response for target orientation relative to the detection coil are reported. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21290794
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-07181; TRN: US10V0119038205
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM'07: 2007 Waste Management Symposium - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; 6 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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