Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T09:23:06.486Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Internal Conversion in Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis of Actinide-Containing Materials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2007

Thierry Wiss ,
Hartmut Thiele ,
Bert Cremer  and
Ian Ray
Thierry Wiss
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Hartmut Thiele
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Bert Cremer
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Ian Ray
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Get access

Abstract

The use of X-ray elemental analysis tools like energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) is described in the context of the investigation of nuclear materials. These materials contain radioactive elements, particularly alpha-decaying actinides that affect the quantitative EDS measurement by producing interferences in the X-ray spectra. These interferences originating from X-ray emission are the result of internal conversion by the daughter atoms from the alpha-decaying actinides. The strong interferences affect primarily the L X-ray lines from the actinides (in the typical energy range used for EDS analysis) and would require the use of the M lines. However, it is typically at the energy of the actinide's M lines that the interferences are dominant. The artifacts produced in the X-ray analysis are described and illustrated by some typical examples of analysis of actinide-bearing material.

Keywords

actinidesalpha-decayinternal conversion
Type
SPECIAL SECTION: MICROANALYSIS OF MATERIALS TODAY
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , June 2007 , pp. 196 - 203
Copyright
© 2007 Microscopy Society of America

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Firestone, R.B. (1999). Table of Isotopes. CD-ROM. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Konings, R.J.M. (2001). Advanced fuel cycles for accelerator-driven systems: Fuel fabrication and reprocessing. EUR 19928 EN. Karlsruhe: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements.
Koyama, T., Iizuka, M., Shoji, Y., Fujita, R., Tanaka, H., Kobayashi, T. & Tokiwai, M. (1997). An experimental study of molten salt electrorefining of uranium using solid iron cathode and liquid cadmium cathode for development of pyrometallurgical reprocessing. J Nucl Sci Technol 34, 384–393.Google Scholar
Koyama, T., Kinoshita, K., Inoue, T., Ougier, M., Malmbeck, R., Glatz, J.-P. & Koch, L. (2002). Study of molten salt electrorefining of U-Pu-Zr alloy fuel. J Nucl Sci Technol 3(Suppl.), 765–768.Google Scholar
Krane, K.S. (1988). Introductory Nuclear Physics. New York: J. Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Madic, C., Hudson, M.J., Liljenzin, J.-O., Glatz, J.-P., Nannicini, R., Facchini, A., Kolarik, Z. & Odoj, R. (2002). Recent achievements in the development of partitioning processes of minor actinides from nuclear wastes obtained in the frame of the NEWPART European Programme (1996–1999). Prog. Nucl. Energy 40, 523–526.Google Scholar
Wallenius, M., Abousahl, S., Luentzenkirchen, K., Mayer, K., Ottmar, H., Ray, I.L.F., Schubert, A. & Wiss, T. (2005). Actinides—A challenge for nuclear forensics. In Actinides 2005, Alvarez, R., Bryan, N.D. & May, I. (Eds.), pp. 26–31. Manchester: RSC Publishing.
Way, K. (1970). Nuclear Data. New York and London: Academic Press.
Wiss, T.A.G., Hiernaut, J.-P., Damen, P.M.G., Lutique, S., Fromknecht, R. & Weber, W.J. (2006). Helium behaviour in waste conditioning matrices during thermal annealing. J Nucl Mater 352, 202–208.Google Scholar