An HEU (highly enriched uranium) confirmatory measurement instrument

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6739463

Sprinkle, Jr, J K ^[1]; Brumfield, T L; Johnson, L ^[2]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
2. Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, TN (USA)

Precise measurements of an attribute of the special nuclear material (SNM) in a shipping container can confirm that the SNM was not tampered with during shipping. These measurements do not require a calibration, but they should be based on an attribute unique to each sample. This report describes a new instrument, based on a vertical stack of low-resolution detectors, designed to record such a unique attribute: gamma-rays at 185.7 keV, 1001 keV, and 2614 keV. It collects data for 200 s from sealed shipping containers (208-L barrels). These measurements distinguish the issue of material control (has any material been diverted ) from the issue of measurement control (is there a bias between the shipper's and the receiver's measurements of the same item ). This is an important distinction because material control problems require prompt corrective measures, while measurement control problems are never solved (they just get smaller). This instrument satisfies the regulatory requirements for material control in shipper-receiver transfers. In-plant measurement data are presented to illustrate the stability of the instrument and its ability to distinguish between similar items. 10 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6739463
• Report Number(s): LA-11864-MS; ON: DE90015479
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
ACCOUNTABILITY
ACTINIDES
AMERICIUM
AUTOMATION
BACKGROUND RADIATION
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
CONTAINERS
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DATA COVARIANCES
DESIGN
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
FUNCTIONS
GAMMA DETECTION
KEV RANGE
MANAGEMENT
MATHEMATICS
MEASURING METHODS
METALS
MONITORING
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
PLUTONIUM
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATIONS
RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
SAFEGUARDS
SECURITY
STATISTICS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM
VERIFICATION