Test and evaluation of a high-sensitivity assay system for bulk transuranic waste
During the past year, the authors 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. More than 400 combined passive and active assay measurements of waste drums at Oak Ridge were performed. 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 Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
- OSTI ID:
- 6648875
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-830709-
- Journal Information:
- Nucl. Mater. Manage.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Mater. Manage.; (United States) Vol. 12; ISSN NUMMB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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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
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
BARYON REACTIONS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DECAY
EVALUATION
FISSION
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
HADRON REACTIONS
ISOTOPE RATIO
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON REACTIONS
ORNL
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PULSE TECHNIQUES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOASSAY
SENSITIVITY
SPONTANEOUS FISSION
TESTING
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE FORMS
WASTES