Comparison of measured and calculated uranium isotopic concentrations in cascade streams at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Technical Report · Wed Jun 16 04:00:00 EDT 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5361005· OSTI ID:5361005

Blumkin, S

A test has been performed at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in connection with studies for the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency on the possibility of utilizing measurements of the concentrations of the minor uranium isotopes in /sup 235/U enrichment cascade external streams as a safeguards technique (MIST). This is the fourth plant test that has been performed in connection with the MIST studies, the first three having been done at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP). The main objectives of the test were to measure the isotopic composition and flow rates of the plant external streams over a period of time; to design an appropriate plant model in the manner an IAEA safeguards team might do it and calculate the isotopic compositions of the plant streams; and to compare the calculated isotopic values with the measured ones. The calculated /sup 235/U to /sup 234/U concentration ratios in the product and tails streams did not match the average measured values in the high-power period as well as they did for the low-power period, when the same isotopic composition for natural U was assumed at both power levels - the actual composition of the natural U fed to the plant during the test not having been measured. Recalculation of the /sup 235/U to /sup 234/U concentrations with another assumed value for the /sup 234/U concentration in natural U, that is still within the range of reported observed values for it, resulted in better agreement with the measured plant stream values: + 0.7% for the product stream and + 0.2% in the tails stream for the single-cascade model and + 0.8% and - 0.7% respectively for a two-cascade plant model. The record on sources of the natural U that was fed during the test supports the assumption that the average /sup 234/U concentration in the natural U fed was probably different during the two operating periods.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5361005
• Report Number(s): K-2034; ON: DE82017601
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050501 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Uranium Enrichment-- Gaseous Diffusion-- (-1989)
055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
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