Measuring key Sm isotope ratios in irradiated UO2 for use in plutonium discrimination nuclear forensics Academic Article

abstract

• 2019, Akadmiai Kiad, Budapest, Hungary. As part of an experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for Pu source reactor-type discrimination, destructive analysis has been performed on two irradiated UO2 pellets with different irradiation histories. Analysis has focused on measuring key Sm fission product isotope ratios used in a previously published maximum likelihood methodology to determine the most likely irradiation history of the pellets. A total of 21 Sm isotope ratios were measured within the irradiated pellets, and generally agreed within 20% of the irradiations as simulated using the Monte Carlo Radiation Transport and material depletion code, MCNP6. Results indicate the chosen approach can accurately measure the isotope ratios within 5% experimental error.

authors

• Chirayath, Sunil
• Folden, Charles

published proceedings

• JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY

author list (cited authors)

• Glennon, K. J., Osborn, J. M., Burns, J. D., Kitcher, E. D., Chirayath, S. S., & Folden, C.

citation count

• 5

complete list of authors

• Glennon, Kevin J||Osborn, Jeremy M||Burns, Jonathan D||Kitcher, Evans D||Chirayath, Sunil S||Folden, Charles MIII

publication date

• April 2019

publisher

• Springer Nature  Publisher

published in

• Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry: an�International Journal dealing with all Aspects�and Applications of Nuclear Chemistry  Journal

keywords

• Cation Exchange Chromatography
• Irradiated Uo2
• Isotope Ratios
• Nuclear Forensics
• Separated Plutonium

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1007/s10967-019-06486-w

start page

• 405

end page

• 414

volume

• 320

issue

• 2