Analytical methods for fissionable material determinations in the nuclear fuel cycle. Progress report, October 1, 1978-September 30, 1979

Technical Report · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5381562· OSTI ID:5381562

Waterbury, G R ^[1]

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1. comp.

Work continues on the development of dissolution techniques for difficult-to-dissolve nuclear materials, the development of methods and automated instruments for plutonium, uranium, and thorium determinations, and the preparation of plutonium materials for the Safeguards Analytical Laboratory Evaluation (SALE) program and distribution by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) as standard reference materials (SRMs). We are measuring the loner plutonium isotope half-lives, evaluating the isotope correlation techniques and the chemistry involved in the mass-spectrometric ion-bead techniques, and analyzing the SALE uranium materials. Completed subtasks include evaluations of various Teflon materials to recommend those acceptable for the dissolution apparatus developed at LASL, investigations of laser-enhanced dissolution of refractory materials, determinations of diverse ion effects on the microgram-sensitive method for determining uranium, fabrication of the first automated controlled-potential coulometric analyzer for determining plutonium, preparation of a /sup 244/Pu material for distribution by NBS as a SRM, and determination of the half-life of /sup 239/Pu. Work has been started on a spectrophotometric method for determining microgram quantities of plutonium, a microcomplexometric titration method for determining uranium, the use of new reagents for separations of plutonium, the preparation and packaging of a new lot of high-purity plutonium metal for distribution by NBS as a plutonium chemical SRM, and determination of half-lives of other plutonium isotopes.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5381562
• Report Number(s): LA-8131-PR
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400100 -- Analytical & Separations Chemistry
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACCOUNTING
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONTAINERS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
FUEL CYCLE
HALF-LIFE
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLASTICS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM 241
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POLYETHYLENES
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
REFRACTORIES
SAFEGUARDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
TEFLON
THORIUM
TITRATION
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES