Evaluation of an Interlaboratory Comparison Involving Pyrocarbon- and Silicon Carbide-Coated Uranium-Thorium Carbide Beads: Phase II

Technical Report · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7266159· OSTI ID:7266159

Bracey, Jere T. ^[1]; Bingham, Carleton D. ^[1]; Trahey, Nancy M. ^[1]; Jacob, Elaine H. ^[1]

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1. New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL), New Brunswick, NJ (United States)

Six chemistry laboratories and one nondestructive assay laboratory participated in the second phase of an interlaboratory comparison program, involving pyrocarbon- and silicon carbidecoated, uranium-thorium carbide beads. Accuracy and precision of measurements were estimated by supplying known quantities of mixtures of four different ratios of thorium oxide (ThO₂) to uranium oxide (UO₂). The ratios for the oxide mixtures were nominally 0, 10, 16, 25:1 of ThO₂ to UO₂. The range of the chemical determination of uranium content in the oxide mixtures was less than 0.3% of the assigned value and the within-laboratory precision ranged from 0.07 to 0.33 (% standard deviation of relative difference). The determination of thorium in the mixtures exhibited a generally much lesser degree of refinement in the state-of-the art compared to the uranium analyses. Chemical assay for the determination of the uranium (thorium) concentration in the BISO beads for all laboratories exhibited a range from -0.18 to +0.16 (-0.27 to +0.47) % relative to the assigned value. The within-laboratory standard deviation of relative difference ranged from 0.07 to 0.14 (0.11 to 0.57). The chemical assay for the determination of uranium (thorium) concentration of the TRISO beads exhibited a range from -0.12 to 0.18 (-3.67 to +1.58) % relative to the assigned value. The within-laboratory standard deviation of the relative difference ranged from 0.07 to 0.45 (0.49 to 2.09). NDA measurements for uranium on the mixed oxides showed a positive deviation ranging from 0.12 to 0.97%. The within-laboratory precision ranged from 0.57 to 1.61 standard deviation of the relative difference. The NDA measurements on BISO beads showed a value of -0.39 ± 0.83 (mean relative difference ± standard deviation of relative differences) relative to the assigned values for 178 samples. NDA measurements on TRISO beads showed a value of -0.42 ± 1.08 (mean relative difference ± standard deviation of relative differences) relative to the assigned value for 188 samples.

• Research Organization: New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL), New Brunswick, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA)
• OSTI ID: 7266159
• Report Number(s): NBL--279
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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