Intercomparison of the Radio-Chronometric Ages of Plutonium-Certified Reference Materials with Distinct Isotopic Compositions
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Joint Research Centre (JRC), Karlsruhe (Germany)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
In this article, an intercomparison of the radio-chronometric ages of four distinct plutonium-certified reference materials varying in chemical form, isotopic composition, and period of production are presented. The cross-comparison of the different 234U/238Pu, 235U/239Pu, 236U/240Pu, and 241Am/241Pu model purification ages obtained at four independent analytical facilities covering a range of laboratory environments from bulk sample processing to clean facilities dedicated to nuclear forensic investigation of environmental samples enables a true assessment of the state-of-practice in “age dating capabilities” for nuclear materials. The analytical techniques evaluated used modern mass spectrometer instrumentation including thermal ionization mass spectrometers and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers for isotopic abundance measurements. Both multicollector and single collector instruments were utilized to generate the data presented here. Consensus values established in this study make it possible to use these isotopic standards as quality control standards for radio-chronometry applications. Results highlight the need for plutonium isotopic standards that are certified for 234U/238Pu, 235U/239Pu, 236U/240Pu, and 241Am/241Pu model purification ages as well as other multigenerational radio-chronometers such as 237Np/241Pu. Due to the capabilities of modern analytical instrumentation, analytical laboratories that focus on trace level analyses can obtain model ages with marginally larger uncertainties than laboratories that handle bulk samples. Lastly, when isotope ratio measurement techniques like thermal ionization mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with comparable precision are utilized, model purification ages with similar uncertainties are obtained.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001; AC52-07NA27344
- OSTI ID:
- 1570646
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1601561
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-19-23330; LLNL-JRNL-765551; LLNLJRNL-765551-DRAFT; TRN: US2001085
- Journal Information:
- Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 91, Issue 18; ISSN 0003-2700
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Similar Records
DETERMINATION OF REPORTABLE RADIONUCLIDES FOR DWPF SLUDGE BATCH 4 MACROBATCH 5
DETERMINATION OF REPORTABLE RADIONUCLIDES FOR DWPF SLUDGE BATCH 5 (MACROBATCH 6)