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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Production of NDA Working Reference Materials for the Capability Evaluation Project

Conference ·
OSTI ID:759351
The production of Non Destructive Assay (NDA) Working Reference Materials (WRMs) that are traceable to nationally recognized standards was undertaken to support implementation of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Nondestructive Waste Assay Capability Evaluation Project (CEP). The WRMs produced for the CEP project consist of Increased Am/Pu mass ration (IAP) and depleted Uranium (DU) WRMs. The CEP IAP/DU WRM set provides radioactive material standards for use in combination with 55 gallon drum waste matrix surrogates for the assessment of waste NDA assay system performance. The Production of WRMs is a meticulous process that is not without certain trials and tribulations. Problems may arise at any of the various stages of WRM production which include, but are not limited to; material characterization (physical, chemical, and isotopic), material blend parameters, personnel radiation exposure, gas generation phenomenon, traceability to national standards, encapsulation, statistical evaluation of the data, and others. Presented here is an overall description of the process by which the CEP WRMs were produced and certified as well as discussions pertaining to some of the problems encountered and how they were solved.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
759351
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-98-4543
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English