A GAMMA-COUNTING METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF U-235 IN ENRICHED URANIUM

Technical Report · Sun Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1959

OSTI ID:4247386

Upson, U L; Miller, D G

A method of precision gamma counting has been developed and applied to the determination of the U/sup 235/ isotopic contents at about 93 percent enrichment, in uranium-aluminum alloys. The counting is performed on liquid samples obtained from dissolution of the alloy without chemical separation, and is precise to within 0.2 percent standard deviation in replicate samples. The accuracy of an isotopic analysis by this method is dependent upon the use of accurate standards and upon the accuracy of the separate analysis for total uranium. For samples in which the total uranium content is accurately known, as in the case of solutions of pure uranium, weighed as U/sub 3/O/sub 8/, a precision of sintering time 0.3 percent at 95 percent confidence can be attained. For samples in which the total uranium content is determined by chemical analysis, the over-all precision ranges from sintering time 0.4 percent to sintering time 0.8 percent of the total uranium content. While gamma counting is not competitive with the mass spectrometer in precision, its virtue lies in the relative speed and economy with which samples can be evaluated, and in the fact that a nmass spectrometer is not always readily available. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-52
• NSA Number: NSA-13-014337
• OSTI ID: 4247386
• Report Number(s): HW-47867(Rev.)(Del.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALUMINUM ALLOYS
CHEMISTRY
ECONOMICS
ENRICHMENT
ERRORS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
GAMMA DETECTION
GAMMA RADIATION
LIQUIDS
MASS SPECTROMETERS
PERFORMANCE
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIOCHEMISTRY
SAMPLING
SENSITIVITY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
STANDARDS
U3O8
URANIUM 235
URANIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM ISOTOPES