Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity 233U spike for use in uranium analyses

Mathew, K. J.; Canaan, R. D.; Hexel, C.; Giaquinto, J.; Krichinsky, A. M.

doi:10.1016/J.IJMS.2015.08.013

Title: Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity ²³³U spike for use in uranium analyses

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Abstract

Several high-purity ²³³U items potentially useful as isotope dilution mass spectrometry standards for safeguards, non-proliferation, and nuclear forensics measurements are identified and rescued from downblending. By preserving the supply of ²³³U materials of different pedigree for use as source materials for certified reference materials (CRMs), it is ensured that the safeguards community has high quality uranium isotopic standards required for calibration of the analytical instruments. One of the items identified as a source material for a high-purity CRM is characterized for the uranium isotope-amount ratios using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Additional verification measurements on this material using quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) are also performed. As a result, the comparison of the ICPMS uranium isotope-amount ratios with the TIMS data, with much smaller uncertainties, validated the ICPMS measurement practices. ICPMS is proposed for the initial screening of the purity of items in the rescue campaign.

Authors:

Mathew, K. J. ^[1]; Canaan, R. D. ^[2]; Hexel, C. ^[2]; Giaquinto, J. ^[2]; Krichinsky, A. M. ^[2]

New Brunswick Lab. (NBL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Research Org.:: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1233734

Report Number(s):: SRNL-L4600-2015-00051
Journal ID: ISSN 1387-3806; PII: S138738061500264X; TRN: US1600466

Grant/Contract Number:: AC09-08SR22470

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: International Journal of Mass Spectrometry

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 389; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1387-3806

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; thermal ionization mass spectrometry; certified reference materials; nuclear forensics; isotope dilution mass spectrometry

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                    Mathew, K. J., Canaan, R. D., Hexel, C., Giaquinto, J., and Krichinsky, A. M. Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity 233U spike for use in uranium analyses.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/J.IJMS.2015.08.013.

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                    Mathew, K. J., Canaan, R. D., Hexel, C., Giaquinto, J., & Krichinsky, A. M. Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity 233U spike for use in uranium analyses.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJMS.2015.08.013

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                    Mathew, K. J., Canaan, R. D., Hexel, C., Giaquinto, J., and Krichinsky, A. M. Thu .  
"Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity 233U spike for use in uranium analyses".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJMS.2015.08.013.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1233734.

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@article{osti_1233734,

  title        = {Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity 233U spike for use in uranium analyses},

  author       = {Mathew, K. J. and Canaan, R. D. and Hexel, C. and Giaquinto, J. and Krichinsky, A. M.},

  abstractNote = {Several high-purity 233U items potentially useful as isotope dilution mass spectrometry standards for safeguards, non-proliferation, and nuclear forensics measurements are identified and rescued from downblending. By preserving the supply of 233U materials of different pedigree for use as source materials for certified reference materials (CRMs), it is ensured that the safeguards community has high quality uranium isotopic standards required for calibration of the analytical instruments. One of the items identified as a source material for a high-purity CRM is characterized for the uranium isotope-amount ratios using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Additional verification measurements on this material using quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) are also performed. As a result, the comparison of the ICPMS uranium isotope-amount ratios with the TIMS data, with much smaller uncertainties, validated the ICPMS measurement practices. ICPMS is proposed for the initial screening of the purity of items in the rescue campaign.},

  doi          = {10.1016/J.IJMS.2015.08.013},

  journal      = {International Journal of Mass Spectrometry},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 389,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015},

  month        = {Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015}

}

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Title: Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity 233U spike for use in uranium analyses

Abstract

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Title: Qualification and initial characterization of a high-purity ²³³U spike for use in uranium analyses