Investigation of technology for monitoring UF/sub 6/ mass flow

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Nucl. Mater. Manage. Annu. Meet. Proc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5540439

Cooley, J N; Moran, B W; Swindle, Jr, D W

The applicability of gas flow meters, in-line enrichment monitors, and instruments for measuring uranium or UF/sub 6/ concentrations in process streams as a means for verifying declared plant throughput have been investigated. The study was performed to assist the International Atomic Energy Agency in the development of an effective international safeguards approach for aerodynamic uranium enrichment plants. Because the process gas in an aerodynamic enrichment facility is a mixture of UF/sub 6/ and H/sub 2/, a mass flow measurement in conjunction with a measurement of the uranium (or UF/sub 6/) concentration in the process gas is required to quantify the amount of uranium being fed into, and withdrawn from, the cascades for nuclear materials accountability verification. In line enrichment monitors developed for the U.S. gas centrifuge enrichment plant are found to be applicable only to pure UF/sub 6/ streams. Of the five gas flow meters evaluated, the orifice meter and the pilot tube meter are judged the best choices for the proposed applications: the first is recommended for low-velocity gas, small diameter piping; the latter, for high-velocity gas, large diameter piping. Of the six procedures evaluated for measurement of uranium or UF/sub 6/ concentration in a mixed process stream, infrared-ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry is judged to be the best procedure currently available to perform the required measurement.

• Research Organization: International Technology Programs, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, TN 37831
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5540439
• Report Number(s): CONF-870713-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Nucl. Mater. Manage. Annu. Meet. Proc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 16
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050502* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Uranium Enrichment-- Centrifugation-- (-1989)
055001 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CENTRIFUGE ENRICHMENT PLANTS
ELEMENTS
FLOWMETERS
FLUID FLOW
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
GAS FLOW
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN
IAEA SAFEGUARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION PLANTS
MASS TRANSFER
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
METERS
MONITORING
MONITORS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ON-LINE SYSTEMS
PIPELINES
SAFEGUARDS
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
VERIFICATION
VOLUME