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IAEA, PNNL test new uranium enrichment monitor
A uranium enrichment monitor developed by a team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will soon be undergoing testing for nonproliferation applications at the International Atomic Energy Agency Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation in the United Kingdom. A recent PNNL news article describes how the research team, led by nuclear physicist James Ely, who works within the lab’s National Security Directorate, developed the UF6 gas enrichment sensor (UGES) prototype for treaty verification and other purposes.
Alan S. Icenhour, Louis M. Toth, Robert M. Wham, R. R. Brunson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 146 | Number 2 | May 2004 | Pages 206-209
Technical Note | Nuclear Plant Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3499
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Alpha radiolysis experiments have been performed on NpO2 that contains sorbed moisture. A high dose rate to the sample was achieved by spiking it with ~7000 ppm 244Cm during preparation. Pressure monitoring of sample containers showed that a low, steady-state pressure plateau is reached. This plateau indicates a situation in which the forward reaction (i.e., radiolysis of water) is equal to the back reaction (i.e., the reformation of H2O). In this technical note, a simple kinetic model that can be used for predicting steady-state pressures under practical conditions is described.