A confirmatory measurement technique for highly enriched uranium

Technical Report · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6250467· OSTI ID:6250467

Sprinkle, Jr, J K

This report describes a confirmatory measurement technique for measuring uranium items in their shipping containers. The measurement consists of a weight verification and the detection of three gamma rays. The weight can be determined very precisely, thus it severely constrains the options of the diverter who might want to imitate the gamma signal with a bogus item. The 185.7-keV gamma ray originates from /sup 235/U, the 1001 keV originates from a daughter of /sup 238/U, and the 2614 keV originates from a daughter of /sup 232/U. These three gamma rays exhibit widely different attenuation properties, they correlate with enrichment and total uranium mass, and they rigorously discriminate against a likely diversion scenario (low-enriched uranium substitution). These four measured quantities, when combined, provide a signature that is very difficult to counterfeit.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6250467
• Report Number(s): LA-11021-MS; ON: DE87014705
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
350300 -- Arms Control-- Verification-- (1987-)
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACTINIDES
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
GAMMA DETECTION
GAMMA SPECTRA
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
MATERIALS
MEASURING METHODS
METALS
RADIATION DETECTION
SPECTRA
URANIUM
VERIFICATION
WEIGHT