AN ALPHA SCINTILLATION TESTER FOR URANIUM SURFACE CONTAMINATION OF N- REACTOR FUEL

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1963

OSTI ID:4116471

Jackson, Jr, C N

A nondestructive tester and some of its applications in measuring 10 to 100 mu g of uranium surface contamination on unirradiated, low enrichment, uranium fuel elements are described. The fuel elements will be used in NReactor, a dual-purpose, power generating reactor being constructed at Hanford. The tester uses a zinc sulfide scintillation system which detects the natural alpha decay of uranium. It can test 118 in/sup 2/ of surface at one time in a counting period of 10 min with a sensitivity of 13 x 10/sup -9 g/cm/sup 2/. Various trade- offs between statistical reliability and counting time (6 min or less) are worked out for a go, no-go type of testing. The tester's use in measuring the contamination on production fuel elements and in pinpointing the manufacturing operations that caused contamination are described. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(45-1)-1350
• NSA Number: NSA-18-012459
• OSTI ID: 4116471
• Report Number(s): HW-78268
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALPHA DECAY
ALPHA DETECTION
CONTAMINATION
ENRICHMENT
FUEL ELEMENTS
INSTRUMENTATION
MEASURED VALUES
POWER PLANTS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SENSITIVITY
STATISTICS
SURFACES
URANIUM
ZINC SULFIDES