Uranium isotopic analysis in unpurified solutions by ICP-MS
Uranium isotope analysis in unpurified samples using ICP-MS provides accurate results across platforms.
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
Engineering topics
Herman, Staci M.
Publications and source records attributed to Herman, Staci M..
A new method for quantifying 64 Cu in nuclear debris samples
Quantifying 64 Cu in post-detonation nuclear debris samples can provide important diagnostic information regarding the structural materials used within a nuclear device. However, this task is challenging due to the weak gamma emissions associated with the decay of 64 Cu, its short half-life (12.701 h), and the presence of interfering fission product radioisotopes. Large quantities of debris sample are generally needed to accurately quantify 64 Cu, which can be problematic in sample-limited scenarios where other radiometric analyses are required. Herein, we present a new method for the separation of 64 Cu from solutions of mixed fission products and demonstrate the quantification of its activity through use of gas-flow proportional beta counting. Here, the new method was validated through a series of rigorous tests and was shown to improve the detection limit of 64 Cu by over two orders of magnitude, from 2.5 × 10 6 to 1.3 × 10 4 atoms/sample for 100 min measurements.
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
Evaluation of SR/ TEVA/ TRU triple stack for separation of activation products
A rapid method to separate Ta, Po, Au, Pt, and W from a sample containing mixed fission and activation products was developed using three commercially available extraction chromatography resins stacked in series. When the separation was tested using all the target activation products, even those with short half-lives were measurable. Finally, combining multiple extraction chromatography resin cartridges in tandem allows for multiple short-lived activation products to be separated from one sample addition without the complication of multiple steps.
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗