Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium

Journal Article · Sun Nov 10 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Nuclear Engineering and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2018.11.003· OSTI ID:1544433

Osborn, Jeremy ^[1]; Glennon, Kevin ^[1]; Kitcher, Evans ^[1]; Burns, Jonathon ^[1]; Folden, Charles ^[1]; Chirayath, Sunil ^[1]

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1. Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

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.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• Contributing Organization: Nuclear Science and Security Consortium
• Grant/Contract Number: NA0003180; NA0000979; ECCS-1140018; DHS-2012-DN-077-ARI1057-02&03; DHS-2015-DN-077-ARI1099
• OSTI ID: 1544433
• Journal Information: Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Vol. 51, Issue 2; ISSN 1738-5733
• Publisher: Korean Nuclear Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY