Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium
Abstract
An experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for the source reactor-type discrimination of separated weapons-useable plutonium is presented. The methodology uses measured values of intra-element isotope ratios of plutonium and fission product contaminants. MCNP radiation transport codes were used for various reactor core modeling and fuel burnup simulations. A reactor-dependent library of intra-element isotope ratio values as a function of burnup and time since irradiation was created from the simulation results. The experimental validation of the methodology was achieved by performing two low-burnup experimental irradiations, resulting in distinct fuel samples containing sub-milligram quantities of weapons-useable plutonium. The irradiated samples were subjected to gamma and mass spectrometry to measure several intra-element isotope ratios. For each reactor in the library, a maximum likelihood calculation was utilized to compare the measured and simulated intra-element isotope ratio values, producing a likelihood value which is proportional to the probability of observing the measured ratio values, given a particular reactor in the library. The measured intra-element isotope ratio values of both irradiated samples and its comparison with the simulation predictions using maximum likelihood analyses are presented. Finally, the analyses validate the nuclear forensics methodology developed.
- Authors:
-
- Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (NA-20)
- Contributing Org.:
- Nuclear Science and Security Consortium
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1544433
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0003180; NA0000979; ECCS-1140018; DHS-2012-DN-077-ARI1057-02&03; DHS-2015-DN-077-ARI1099
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Nuclear Engineering and Technology
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 51; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1738-5733
- Publisher:
- Korean Nuclear Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
Citation Formats
Osborn, Jeremy, Glennon, Kevin, Kitcher, Evans, Burns, Jonathon, Folden, Charles, and Chirayath, Sunil. Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.net.2018.11.003.
Osborn, Jeremy, Glennon, Kevin, Kitcher, Evans, Burns, Jonathon, Folden, Charles, & Chirayath, Sunil. Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium. United States. doi:10.1016/j.net.2018.11.003.
Osborn, Jeremy, Glennon, Kevin, Kitcher, Evans, Burns, Jonathon, Folden, Charles, and Chirayath, Sunil. Sun .
"Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium". United States. doi:10.1016/j.net.2018.11.003. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1544433.
@article{osti_1544433,
title = {Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium},
author = {Osborn, Jeremy and Glennon, Kevin and Kitcher, Evans and Burns, Jonathon and Folden, Charles and Chirayath, Sunil},
abstractNote = {An experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for the source reactor-type discrimination of separated weapons-useable plutonium is presented. The methodology uses measured values of intra-element isotope ratios of plutonium and fission product contaminants. MCNP radiation transport codes were used for various reactor core modeling and fuel burnup simulations. A reactor-dependent library of intra-element isotope ratio values as a function of burnup and time since irradiation was created from the simulation results. The experimental validation of the methodology was achieved by performing two low-burnup experimental irradiations, resulting in distinct fuel samples containing sub-milligram quantities of weapons-useable plutonium. The irradiated samples were subjected to gamma and mass spectrometry to measure several intra-element isotope ratios. For each reactor in the library, a maximum likelihood calculation was utilized to compare the measured and simulated intra-element isotope ratio values, producing a likelihood value which is proportional to the probability of observing the measured ratio values, given a particular reactor in the library. The measured intra-element isotope ratio values of both irradiated samples and its comparison with the simulation predictions using maximum likelihood analyses are presented. Finally, the analyses validate the nuclear forensics methodology developed.},
doi = {10.1016/j.net.2018.11.003},
journal = {Nuclear Engineering and Technology},
number = 2,
volume = 51,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {11}
}
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