Real-time monitoring of plutonium content in uranium-plutonium alloys
Abstract
A method and device for the real-time, in-situ monitoring of Plutonium content in U--Pu Alloys comprising providing a crucible. The crucible has an interior non-reactive to a metallic U--Pu alloy within said interior of said crucible. The U--Pu alloy comprises metallic uranium and plutonium. The U--Pu alloy is heated to a liquid in an inert or reducing atmosphere. The heated U--Pu alloy is then cooled to a solid in an inert or reducing atmosphere. As the U--Pu alloy is cooled, the temperature of the U--Pu alloy is monitored. A solidification temperature signature is determined from the monitored temperature of the U--Pu alloy during the step of cooling. The amount of Uranium and the amount of Plutonium in the U--Pu alloy is then determined from the determined solidification temperature signature.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1213456
- Patent Number(s):
- 9121807
- Application Number:
- 13/710,533
- Assignee:
- U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G01 - MEASURING G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2012 Dec 11
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Citation Formats
Li, Shelly Xiaowei, Westphal, Brian Robert, and Herrmann, Steven Douglas. Real-time monitoring of plutonium content in uranium-plutonium alloys. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web.
Li, Shelly Xiaowei, Westphal, Brian Robert, & Herrmann, Steven Douglas. Real-time monitoring of plutonium content in uranium-plutonium alloys. United States.
Li, Shelly Xiaowei, Westphal, Brian Robert, and Herrmann, Steven Douglas. Tue .
"Real-time monitoring of plutonium content in uranium-plutonium alloys". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1213456.
@article{osti_1213456,
title = {Real-time monitoring of plutonium content in uranium-plutonium alloys},
author = {Li, Shelly Xiaowei and Westphal, Brian Robert and Herrmann, Steven Douglas},
abstractNote = {A method and device for the real-time, in-situ monitoring of Plutonium content in U--Pu Alloys comprising providing a crucible. The crucible has an interior non-reactive to a metallic U--Pu alloy within said interior of said crucible. The U--Pu alloy comprises metallic uranium and plutonium. The U--Pu alloy is heated to a liquid in an inert or reducing atmosphere. The heated U--Pu alloy is then cooled to a solid in an inert or reducing atmosphere. As the U--Pu alloy is cooled, the temperature of the U--Pu alloy is monitored. A solidification temperature signature is determined from the monitored temperature of the U--Pu alloy during the step of cooling. The amount of Uranium and the amount of Plutonium in the U--Pu alloy is then determined from the determined solidification temperature signature.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2015},
month = {9}
}
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
Dry, portable calorimeter for nondestructive measurement of the activity of nuclear fuel
patent, December 1976
- Beyer, Norman S.; Lewis, Robert; Perry, Robert
- US Patent Document 3,995,485
Method for producing encapsulated thermocouples
patent, April 1986
- Terhune, James H.
- US Patent Document 4,581,813
Heat flux meter for checking calorigenic materials within a container
patent, August 1987
- Bourrelly, Paul; Patin, Henri; Schoepp, Robert
- US Patent Document 4,684,265
Method of separating exothermic elements from high-level radioactive liquid waste
patent, November 1996
- Yonezawa, Shigeaki
- US Patent Document 5,574,960
System for trapping and storing gases for subsequent chemical reduction to solids
patent, November 2009
- Vogel, John S.; Ognibene, Ted; Bench, Graham
- US Patent Document 7,611,903
Method for the production of spherical combustible or fertile material particles
patent, September 2013
- Heit, Werner; Kadner, Martin; Braehler, Georg
- US Patent Document 8,535,579