Nuclear archaeology: Verifying declarations of fissile-material production
- Univ. of Maryland, College Park (United States)
Controlling the production of fissile material is an essential element of nonproliferation policy. Similarly, accounting for the past production of fissile material should be an important component of nuclear disarmament. This paper describes two promising techniques that make use of physical evidence at reactors and enrichment facilities to verify the past production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium. In the first technique, the concentrations of long-lived radionuclides in permanent components of the reactor core are used to estimate the neutron fluence in various regions of the reactor, and thereby verify declarations of plutonium production in the reactor. In the second technique, the ratio of the concentration of U-235 to that of U-234 in the tails is used to determine whether a given container of tails was used in the production of low- enriched uranium, which is suitable for reactor fuel, or highly enriched uranium, which can be used in nuclear weapons. Both techniques belong to the new field of [open quotes]nuclear archaeology,[close quotes] in which the authors attempt to document past nuclear weapons activities and thereby lay a firm foundation for verifiable nuclear disarmament. 11 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 6419564
- Journal Information:
- Science and Global Security; (United States), Vol. 3:3-4; ISSN 0892-9882
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
PRODUCTION
VERIFICATION
PLUTONIUM
REACTORS
NEUTRON FLUENCE
URANIUM
ISOTOPE RATIO
ENRICHED URANIUM
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PROLIFERATION
TAILINGS
URANIUM 234
URANIUM 235
ACTINIDE ISO
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPES
MAGNESIUM 28 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NEON 24 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
SOLID WASTES
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WASTES
WEAPONS
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
450200 - Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense- Nuclear Explosions & Explosives