Test and evaluation of a high-sensitivity assay system for bulk transuranic waste
During the past year, we tested and evaluated the performance of an assay system that accommodates 55-gal drums of transuranic waste at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This neutron assay system provides a routine assay of fissile transuranic isotopes to the 1-mg sensitivity level with a pulsed active neutron interrogation based on the differential dieaway technique. A highly sensitive passive neutron measurement determines the content of spontaneous fission transuranic isotopes in each drum as well as an upper-bound estimate of the total alpha activity. All components of the combined, pulsed active and passive neutron assay system performed well on a routine basis during the test-and-evaluation period. We performed more than 400 combined passive and active assay measurements of waste drums at Oak Ridge. One-fifth of the initial set of waste drums measured contain less than 100 nCi/g of total transuranic isotopes and thus qualify legally as nontransuranic waste.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA); Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5940649
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-83-2084; CONF-830709-21; ON: DE83015248
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400101 -- Activation
Nuclear Reaction
Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CLASSIFICATION
MATERIALS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEAR REACTION ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
WASTES