Field testing of UF/sub 6/ cylinder gamma-ray measuring equipment for international safeguards
Two portable intrinsiIAEA (high-purity) Germanium (HP Ge) detectors, a Davidson portable multichannel analyzer (MCA), and accessory equipment were field-tested on product and feed UF/sub 6/ cylinders at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. These latter two instruments were not available to UCC-ND at the time of the field tests were designed to assess the usefulness of the above equipment for safeguards; specifically, each cylinder's average /sup 235/U assay was determined by gamma spectrometry and the results were compared statistically with assays obtained previously by mass spectrometry for the same cylinders. This comparison was pivotal to show that the HP Ge detectors can produce results acceptable statistically, and that they can be used with confidence in field measurements. The portable HP Ge detectors are rugged for field use and are most useful in determining /sup 235/U enrichment in UF/sub 6/ cylinders during international safeguards inspections at enrichment plants. Aside from their high resolution and light weight, they can be stored and transported at ambient temperatures. The latter results in a reduction of storage and handling costs for the IAEA inspector, in comparison with the use of high resolution lithium-drifted Ge detectors. The MCA and the accessory equipment also performed reliably. It is concluded that, although the Davidson portable MCA performed reliably, a higher degree of portability and electronic versatility would be desirable to assist the IAEA inspector in the field. Equipment such as the compact MCA recently developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and/or the B-SAM developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory do have these features and, as such, would be more useful to the IAEC during field measurements. These field tests, but prototypes are being tried and evaluated by the IAEA inspectorate. At this writing the first commercialunits are being marketed in the US.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5359331
- Report Number(s):
- K/OA-5206; ON: DE82012790; TRN: 82-013081
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
HIGH-PURITY GE DETECTORS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MULTI-CHANNEL ANALYZERS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
IAEA SAFEGUARDS
ORGDP
URANIUM
URANIUM 235
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
CONTAINERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FIELD TESTS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DATA
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE SEPARATION PLANTS
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
PULSE ANALYZERS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
SAFEGUARDS
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SPECTROSCOPY
TESTING
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM ISOTOPES
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
400103 - Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures- (-1987)
400104 - Spectral Procedures- (-1987)
050501 - Nuclear Fuels- Uranium Enrichment- Gaseous Diffusion- (-1989)