Cooper, Justin Teryl | Search NASA

DOE OSTI2024

Crossroads of Nonproliferation and Safeguarding Technologies for Implementation in Molten Salt Reactors

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) recently conducted a workshop endorsed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) under the auspices of the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D (DNN R&D) Office's Safeguards Portfolio. The workshop's primary objective was to foster an engaging dialogue among researchers, with a specialized emphasis on the safeguards pertaining to molten salt reactors. At INL, the installation of the state-of-the-art Molten Salt Thermophysical Examination Capability (MSTEC) is underway. This shielded argon glovebox facility, designed for both irradiated and non-irradiated actinide materials, represents the cutting edge of research infrastructure. MSTEC is poised to serve as a pivotal research platform in the realm of molten salt technology, with significant implications for safeguards applications. Participants of the workshop had the opportunity to tour the facilities, including the site where MSTEC is being installed, as well as to observe the INL's molten salt and pyroprocessing research hot cells. The event featured insightful presentations delving into molten salt chemistry and the MSTEC project. Each participating laboratory contributed to the discourse with presentations on their respective research efforts addressing safeguards in relation to molten salt reactors. The workshop culminated with a generative brainstorming session, where participants shared their thoughts on strategic integration with partner agencies, aiming to synergize efforts in advancing the field of nuclear safeguards.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Stable Element Doping of Sol-gel Toward Simulating Environmental Matrix in Surrogate Explosive Nuclear Debris

Training nuclear forensic analysis personnel in post-detonation scenarios is of critical importance to nuclear threat response capabilities. Thus, realistic nuclear debris simulants which resemble the size, color, elemental composition, and radionuclide content of actual nuclear fallout from a recent detonation would be valuable for training nuclear first responders in realistic scenarios. As nuclear fallout types vary significantly in each of these parameters based on detonation environment (rural, urban, maritime etc.) and collection location, the ability to tailor each of these parameters accurately in simulated debris would be of immense benefit to the post-detonation analysis community for training both in-field collections and triage and the validation of laboratory level nuclear forensic techniques. Sol-gel synthesis techniques can provide the tunability of size, shape and composition required for producing surrogate nuclear debris of a wide variety. The sol-gel process consists of forming a metal oxide material, often silica, through polymerization of a metal-alkoxy precursor. In this work, we characterize the ability to load the sol-gel particles with secondary elemental components such as iron, aluminum, and calcium toward approximating the elemental composition of debris from various detonation environments and demonstrate the ability to produce particles with controllable size, shape, and color. We also demonstrate quantitative radionuclide encapsulation toward reproducing the radionuclide content of actual fallout from a recent detonation. Finally, we then employ these techniques in producing simulated aerodynamic debris samples with realistic elemental matrix composition and radionuclide content simulating a recent uranium-fueled detonation taking place in a rural desert environment and compare it to historic fallout from the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Stable Element Doping of Sol-gel Toward Simulating Environmental Matrix in Surrogate Explosive Nuclear Debris

Training nuclear forensic analysis personnel in post-detonation scenarios is of critical importance to nuclear threat response capabilities. Thus, realistic nuclear debris simulants which resemble the size, color, elemental composition, and radionuclide content of actual nuclear fallout from a recent detonation would be valuable for training nuclear first responders in realistic scenarios. As nuclear fallout types vary significantly in each of these parameters based on detonation environment (rural, urban, maritime etc.) and collection location, the ability to tailor each of these parameters accurately in simulated debris would be of immense benefit to the post-detonation analysis community for training both in-field collections and triage and the validation of laboratory level nuclear forensic techniques. Sol-gel synthesis techniques can provide the tunability of size, shape and composition required for producing surrogate nuclear debris of a wide variety. The sol-gel process consists of forming a metal oxide material, often silica, through polymerization of a metal-alkoxy precursor. In this work, we characterize the ability to load the sol-gel particles with secondary elemental components such as iron, aluminum, and calcium toward approximating the elemental composition of debris from various detonation environments and demonstrate the ability to produce particles with controllable size, shape, and color. We also demonstrate quantitative radionuclide encapsulation toward reproducing the radionuclide content of actual fallout from a recent detonation. Finally, we then employ these techniques in producing simulated aerodynamic debris samples with realistic elemental matrix composition and radionuclide content simulating a recent uranium-fueled detonation taking place in a rural desert environment and compare it to historic fallout from the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗