Measurements of plutonium residues from recovery processes
Conventional methods of nondestructive assay (NDA) have accurately assayed the plutonium content of many forms of relatively pure and homogeneous bulk items. However, physical and chemical heterogeneities and the high and variable impurity levels of many categories of processing scrap bias the conventional NDA results. The materials also present a significant challenge to the assignment of reference values to process materials for purposes of evaluating the NDA methods. A recent study using impure, heterogeneous, pyrochemical residues from americium molten salt extraction (MSE) has been aimed at evaluating NDA assay methods based on conventional gamma-ray and neutron measurement techniques and enhanced with analyses designed to address the problems of heterogeneities and impurities. The study included a significant effort to obtain reference values for the MSE spent salts used in the study. Two of the improved NDA techniques, suitable for in-line assay of plutonium in bulk, show promise for timely in-process assays for one of the most difficult pyrochemical residues generated as well as for other impure heterogeneous scrap categories. 12 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/RW
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5384617
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-89-3699; CONF-891197-3; ON: DE90003170; TRN: 89-032272
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Topical meeting on non-destructive assay of radioactive waste, Cadarache (France), 20-22 Nov 1989
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
PLUTONIUM
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
ACCOUNTABILITY
AMERICIUM
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
IMPURITIES
MEASURING METHODS
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
SAFEGUARDS
SCRAP
SPENT FUELS
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
MATERIALS
METALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing