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Physics of enriched uranyl fluoride deposit characterizations using active neutron and gamma interrogation techniques with {sup 252}Cf

Conference ·
OSTI ID:665977
 [1]; ; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
  3. East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
A method was developed and successfully applied to characterize large uranyl fluoride (UO{sub 2}F{sub 21}) deposits at the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. These deposits were formed by a wet air in-leakage into the UF{sub 6} process gas lines over a period of years. The resulting UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} is hygroscopic, readily absorbing moisture from the air to form hydrates as UO{sub 2}F{sub 2}-nH{sub 2}O. The ratio of hydrogen to uranium, denoted H/U, can vary from 0--16, and has significant nuclear criticality safety impacts for large deposits. In order to properly formulate the required course of action, a non-intrusive characterization of the distribution of the fissile material within the pipe, its total mass, and amount of hydration was needed. The Nuclear Weapons Identification System (NWIS) previously developed at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant for identification of uranium weapons components in storage containers was used to successfully characterize the distribution, hydration, and total mass of these deposits.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-96OR22464
OSTI ID:
665977
Report Number(s):
ORNL/CP--98771; CONF-981003--; ON: DE98007156; BR: 260950000
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English