Technetium-99 and strontium-90 [electronic resource] : Abundance determination at ultratrace sensitivity by AMS as signatures of undeclared nuclear reprocessing activity.
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Online Access |
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| Format: | Government Document Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Washington, D.C. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. :
United States. Dept. of Energy ; distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy,
1995.
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| Abstract: | The purpose of this White Paper is to examine the use of the ultratrace technique Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) to lower detection limits for ⁹⁹Tc and ⁹⁰Sr, and to examine the utility of these isotopes as signatures of a convert reprocessing facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has committed to improving the effectiveness of the IAEA Safeguards System. This is in some degree a result of the discovery in 1991 of an undeclared Iraqi EMIS program. Recommendations from the March 1993 Consultants Group Meeting have resulted in several studies and follow on field trials to identify environmental signatures from covert nuclear fuel reprocessing activity. In particular, the April, 1993 reports of the Standing Advisory Group on Safeguards Implementation (SAGSI) identified the long-lived radioisotopes Technetium-99 and strontium-90 as two reliable signatures of fuel reprocessing activity. This report also suggested pathways in the chemical processing of irradiated fuel where these elements would be volatilized and potentially released in amounts detectable with ultratrace sensitivity techniques. Based on measured ⁹⁹Tc background levels compiled from a variety of sources, it is estimated that AMS can provide 10% measurements of environmental levels of ⁹⁹Tc in a few minutes using modestly sized samples: a few grams for soils, plants, or animal tissues; one to several liters for rain or seawater samples; and tens to hundreds of cubic meters for air sampling. Small sample sizes and high sample throughput result in significant increases in feasibility, cost effectiveness, and quality of data for a regional monitoring program. Similar results are expected for ⁹⁰Sr. |
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| Item Description: | Published through the Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information. 03/01/1995. "UCRL-ID--122643" "DE96003827" McAninch, J.E.; Proctor, I.D. |
| Physical Description: | 19 p. |