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Nondestructive, Energy-Dispersive, X-Ray Fluorescence an Analysis of Actinide Stream Concentrations from Reprocessed Nuclear Fuel*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

D. C. Camp
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, Calif. 94550
W. D. Ruhter
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, Calif. 94550
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Extract

In the event that nuclear fuel from light water reactors (LWR) is reprocessed to reclaim the uranium or plutonium, several analytical techniques will be used for product accountability. Generally, the isotopic content of both the plutonium and uranium in the reprocessed product will have to be accurately determined. One plan for the reprocessing of LWR spent fuel incorporates the following scheme. After separation from both the fission products and transplutonium actinides (including neptunium and americium), part of the uranium and all of the plutonium in a nitrate solution will merge together to form a coprocessed stream. This solution will be concentrated by evaporation and sent to a hold tank for accountability. Input concentrations into the hold tank could be up to 350 g U/ℓ and nearly 50 g Pu/ℓ. The variation to be expected in these concentrations is not known. The remaining uranium fraction will be further purified and sent to a separate storage tank. Its expected stream concentration will be about 60 g U/ℓ. These two relatively high actinide stream concentrations can be monitored rapidly, quantitatively, and nondestructively using the technique of energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis(XRFA).

Type
Other XRF Applications
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 1979

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Footnotes

*

This work was performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.

References

1. Warren, T. J., Prout, W. E., Thompson, M. C., Okamoto, M. S., and Nichols, G. S., Technical Data Summary Coprocessing Solvent Extraction Facility, Savannah River Laboratory, Document DPSTD-AFCT-77-9 (December, 1 977).Google Scholar
2. Camp, D. C., An Introduction to Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence” Analysis, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Livermore, California, UCRL-52489 (June, 1978).Google Scholar