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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Nuclear Data Sheets for A=38☆

All available experimental data of nuclear structure and decay are evaluated for the known nuclides of mass 38 (Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ar, K, Ca, Sc, Ti). Detailed results of this evaluation are presented with the best values recommended for level energies, half-lives, γ-ray energies and intensities, decay properties (energies, intensities and placement of radiations), and other spectroscopic information. The {sup 38}Ar nuclide remains as the most extensively studied via various reactions and decays; no excited states are known in {sup 38}Al except for that an isomeric state is tentatively proposed from a recent β-decay measurement (2015St14); the {sup 38}Sc and {sup 38}Ti nuclides remain unidentified, with no experimental references reported for {sup 38}Sc and with a measurement of fragmentation cross sections reported for {sup 38}Ti but finding no evidence of its presence (1996Bl21). This work supersedes the earlier full evaluation of A=38 by J.A. Cameron and B. Singh (2008Ca01).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Reaction dynamics of {sup 34-38}Mg projectile with carbon target using Glauber model

We have studied nuclear reaction cross-sections for {sup 34-38}Mg isotopes as projectile with {sup 12}C target at projectile energy 240AMeV using Glauber model with the conjunction of densities from relativistic mean filed formalism. We found good agreement with the available experimental data. The halo status of {sup 37}Mg is also investigated.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

In-Beam γ -Ray Spectroscopy of Mg 34 , 36 , 38 : Merging the N = 20 and N = 28 Shell Quenching

Neutron-rich N = 22, 24, 26 magnesium isotopes were studied in this paper via in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory following secondary fragmentation reactions on a carbon target at ≈ 200 MeV /nucleon. In the one- and two-proton removal channels from 39 Al and 40 Si beams, two distinct γ-ray transitions were observed in 38 Mg, while in the one-proton removal reaction from 37 Al a new transition was observed in addition to the known 2 + 1 → 0 + g.s. decay. From the experimental systematics and comparison to theoretical predictions it is concluded that the transitions belong to the 2 + 1 → 0 + g.s. and 4 + 1 → 2 + 1 decays in 36 Mg and 38 Mg, respectively. For 34 Mg, previously reported 2 + 1 and 4 + 1 level energies were remeasured. Finally, the deduced E(4 + 1 )/E(2 + 1 ) ratios for 34,36,38 Mg of 3.14(5), 3.07(5), and 3.07(5) are almost identical and suggest the emergence of a large area of deformation extending from the N = 20 to the N = 28 shell quenching.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Challenges in correlating oxygen stable isotope ratios of hydrates on uranium ore concentrates to process waters

Exchange of oxygen stable isotopes (δ 18 O values) between precipitation waters and uranium oxides is governed by thermodynamics or kinetics. It has been assumed that meteoric waters can be related to precipitation waters in uranium ore concentrates and their calcination and reduced uranium oxide products. With this assumption, the δ 18 O values of uranium materials could provide forensic signatures that identify the production history and geolocation of nuclear materials. To further exploit the potential of δ 18 O values in nuclear material analysis, this study examines the oxygen stable isotope exchange in two UOCs, magnesium diuranate (MDU) and sodium diuranate (SDU). MDU and SDU were synthesized from solutions of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate using precipitation waters with unique oxygen isotope compositions. The structures of the MDU and SDU were analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD) and thermal mass loss curves, while the δ 18 O values of waters generated during thermal decomposition were analyzed using a thermogravimetric analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio infrared spectrometer (TGA-IRIS). By p-XRD, the MDU was uniform and amorphous across all syntheses with residual crystalline material incorporated as a minor component. Combined with the TGA results, all of the MDU is likely amorphous MgU 2 O 7 ·3H 2 O with MgO impurities present throughout. In contrast, the SDU synthesis resulted in multiple phases with many samples exhibiting crystalline phases including a combination of Na(UO 2 ) 4 O 2 (OH) 5 ·5H 2 O and Na 2 (UO2) 6 O 4 (OH) 6 ·8H 2 O with a Na 2 U 2 O 7 minor phase. A small fraction of the SDU samples were amorphous with no crystalline XRD peaks observed. Mass loss curves of the SDU samples revealed that the amorphous samples contained inclusions of similar crystalline phases compared to the crystalline materials. The uniformity of the MDU samples enabled highly reproducible measurements of δ 18 O values of the water vapor yielded for two dehydration events at 170 °C and 500 °C. In contrast, the multiphase composition of the SDU samples resulted in poor reproducibility in δ 18 O values. In conclusion, neither system revealed any correlation between the δ 18 O values of precipitation water, and the waters released during dehydration of the UOCs.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2020

Charge radii of exotic neon and magnesium isotopes

We compute the charge radii and ground-state energies of even-mass neon and magnesium isotopes from neutron number N = 8 to the dripline. Our calculations are based on nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon potentials from chiral effective field theory that include Δ isobars. These potentials yield an accurate saturation point and symmetry energy of nuclear matter. We use the coupled-cluster method and start from an axially symmetric reference state. Binding energies and two-neutron separation energies largely agree with data, and the dripline in neon is accurate. The computed charge radii are accurate for many isotopes where data exist. Finer details, such as isotope shifts, however, are not accurately reproduced. These chiral potentials indicate a subshell closure at N = 14 for the radii (but not for two-neutron separation energies) and a decrease in charge radii at N = 8 (observed in neon and predicted for magnesium). Furthermore, they yield a continued increase of charge radii as neutrons are added beyond N = 14 yet underestimate the large increase at N = 20 in magnesium.

20 ≤ A ≤ 38↗
DOE OSTI2015

Reactive processing of textile-natural fiber reinforced anionic polyamide-6 composites

Nowadays natural fiber, used in reinforced composites, is widely concerned. However, no natural fiber reinforced reactive thermoplastic polymer grades had been prepared so far. Through our studies, it was demonstrated that there was a severe retardation and discoloration occurred in the reactive processing between anionic polyamide-6 (APA-6) and natural fiber, which result in incomplete polymerization when put together. In order to solve the problem, two methods were adopted in this paper, which are fiber pretreatment and usage of a new-style initiator called caprolactam magnesium bromide. The former is to remove sizing agent and impurities on the surface of fiber, and the latter is to weaken the side reactions between APA-6 and natural fiber by the nature of its lower reactivity and weaker alkaline. In cooperation with both methods, the severe retardation and discoloration had been improved significantly, so that the polymerization of APA-6 in natural fiber was occurred smoothly. Following textile-natural fiber reinforced APA-6 composites with an average thickness of 2.5 mm and a fiber volume content of 50% was prepared by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). The soxhlet extraction, dilute solution viscometry and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements respectively suggested the degree of conversion, viscosity-average molar mass and crystallization of composites was up to 94%, 11.3×104 and 50%. Remarkable improvement of mechanical properties were achieved through dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile and three-point bending test. Favorable interfacial adhesion and wettability were revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. Therefore, all of the above good performance make this new-style and environmentally friendly composites have broad application prospects.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2016

Development and Optimization of Normal Pulse Voltammetry for Real Time Analysis of Electrorefiner Salt with High Concentrations of MgCl{sub 2} and UCl{sub 3}

Electro-refiners can accumulate large holdup of fissile actinides from used nuclear fuel including plutonium and will need to be well safeguarded in a commercial facility. Idaho National Laboratory has operated the Fuel Conditioning Facility, an engineering scale demonstration facility, with two electro-refiners for two decades using mass tracking models supplemented with destructive analysis for the requirements of domestic safeguards. This approach is known to be insufficient of meet international safeguards timeliness requirements. Since there are non-nuclear weapons states that are interested in commercial electro-refiners, there is a need to develop a real time concentration measurement technique. In addition to being useful for safeguards, such a real time measurement would be functional for maintaining optimal process control. Normal pulse voltammetry (NPV) is a powerful electrochemical analysis method that has been identified to have great potential for measuring concentrations of various ions in a given salt mixture. While cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and chronopotentiometry (CP) result in progressive growth of the working electrode surface area, NPV potentially can circumvent this problem via periodically stripping deposited metals from the electrode (WE) surface. With each successive pulse, the potential is dropped to a more negative level. The corresponding current is a summation of partial currents from each of the reducing species. The ultimate objective of this work is to develop correlations between limiting currents measured via NPV with known concentrations. This is potentially a more accurate method than CV and other methods, because it should keep the WE surface area from growing significantly. Previous work on using NPV for actinide concentration determination in eutectic LiCl-KCl has been reported by M. Iizuka et al. However, only low uranium concentrations were studied in that paper. The maximum concentration of uranium tested was 2.48 wt%. Limiting currents from NPV were found to be proportional to their concentrations up to about 1.7 wt%. They were unable to maintain double plateaus (U and Pu) at uranium concentrations above 1.69 w%. This issue was resolved during our high concentration study. This result represents a significant breakthrough for optimizing voltammetry for analysis of actinides in molten salt.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study on effect of annealing conditions on structural, magnetic and superconducting properties of MgB{sub 2} bulk samples

Effect of annealing conditions on structural, magnetic and superconducting properties of Magnesium Diboride (MgB{sub 2}) bulk superconductor samples prepared by solid state route method are compared. The samples are made by taking Magnesium and Boron powders in stoichiometric ratio, grounded well and pelletized at pressure of about 10Tonnes. These pellets are annealed in both Argon and vacuum environment separately up to 800°c for two hours. Both the samples show clear superconducting transition at Tc ∼ 38 k. This is further conformed by AC/DC magnetization (M-T), Resistivity [ρ (T, H)] measurements under magnetic field up to 14 Tesla as well. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction of both samples conformed the MgB{sub 2} phase formation with P6/mmm space group symmetry. Scanning Electron Microscopy images of the surface revile more agglomeration of grains in case of Argon annealed samples. This result in more critical current density (J{sub c}) of Argon annealed samples than vacuum annealed one calculated from Bean's critical state model. This high Jc is explained in terms of more inter grain connectivity for Argon annealed sample than vacuum annealed sample.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Pyrolysis of polyolefins for increasing the yield of monomers' recovery

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of mixed polyolefins in fluidized bed has been studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We tested applicability of a commercial Ziegler-Natta catalyst (Z-N: TiCl{sub 4}/MgCl{sub 2}). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The catalyst has a strong influence on product distribution, increasing gas fraction. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer At 650 Degree-Sign C the monomer generation increased by 55% when the catalyst was used. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We showed the concept of treatment of mixed polyolefins without a need of separation. - Abstract: Pyrolysis of plastic waste is an alternative way of plastic recovery and could be a potential solution for the increasing stream of solid waste. The objective of this work was to increase the yield the gaseous olefins (monomers) as feedstock for polymerization process and to test the applicability of a commercial Ziegler-Natta (Z-N): TiCl{sub 4}/MgCl{sub 2} for cracking a mixture of polyolefins consisted of 46% wt. of low density polyethylene (LDPE), 30% wt. of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and 24% wt. of polypropylene (PP). Two sets of experiments have been carried out at 500 and 650 Degree-Sign C via catalytic pyrolysis (1% of Z-N catalyst) and at 650 and 730 Degree-Sign C via only-thermal pyrolysis. These experiments have been conducted in a lab-scale, fluidized quartz-bed reactor of a capacity of 1-3 kg/h at Hamburg University. The results revealed a strong influence of temperature and presence of catalyst on the product distribution. The ratios of gas/liquid/solid mass fractions via thermal pyrolysis were: 36.9/48.4/15.7% wt. and 42.4/44.7/13.9% wt. at 650 and 730 Degree-Sign C while via catalytic pyrolysis were: 6.5/89.0/4.5% wt. and 54.3/41.9/3.8% wt. at 500 and 650 Degree-Sign C, respectively. At 650 Degree-Sign C the monomer generation increased by 55% up to 23.6% wt. of total pyrolysis products distribution while the catalyst was added. Obtained yields of olefins were compared with the naphtha steam cracking process and other potentially attractive processes for feedstock generation. The concept of closed cycle material flow for polyolefins has been discussed, showing the potential benefits of feedstock recycling in a plastic waste management.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2015

Forward scattering in hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: Structural investigation of buried Mn–Ga films

X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) in combination with hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) has been used to study the structure of buried layers in thin multilayer films. A detailed layer-by-layer investigation was performed using the element-specific, local-probe character of XPD. In the present work, angular-resolved HAXPES at a photon energy of 7.94 keV photon energy was used to investigate a Cr/Mn{sub 62}Ga{sub 38}/Mg/MgO multilayer system. Differences in the angular distributions of electrons emitted from Mn and Ga atoms revealed that the structure of Mn{sub 62}Ga{sub 38} changes from L1{sub 0} towards D0{sub 22} for increasing annealing temperatures. A c/a ratio of 1.81 ± 0.06 was determined for the buried Mn{sub 62}Ga{sub 38} layer in a D0{sub 22} structure from the XPD experiment. The improvement of the structural order of the Mn{sub 62}Ga{sub 38} layer is accompanied by an improvement of the structure of the overlying MgO layer.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Removal of Calcium and Silica from Simulated Blowdown Water Using CO 2 -Assisted Magnesium Electrocoagulation

Blowdown water from various industries and cooling facilities contains high concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), silica, and corrosion inhibitors, which render the water unsuitable for discharge into surface water and wastewater treatment plants. Electrocoagulation (EC) is effective at removing Ca and silica. Here, in this study, Mg-alloy electrodes EC resulted in ∼91% silica removal at a 5400 C/L charge loading. Ca removal, however, was only 31%. To enhance Ca removal, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) containing gas was introduced. CO 2 addition formed carbonate ions, which reacted with Ca/Mg ions to generate carbonate precipitates. Introducing 5% and 14% CO 2 , simulating natural gas-fired and coal-fired flue gas, enhanced Ca removal to 38% and 47%, respectively. Pure CO 2 facilitated 70% Ca removal, more than two times higher than that without CO 2 , while maintaining high silica removal. FTIR, XRD, and SEM-EDS analyses confirmed enhanced Ca/Mg carbonate formation upon CO 2 . In situ Raman spectroscopy was employed to monitor carbonate-ions formation. The results demonstrated carbonate-ions removal through Ca-carbonate formation after CO 2 addition. A techno-economic assessment showed that recycled electrode materials and flue gas lead to ∼3 times lower cost compared with conventional silica/Ca removal through chemical coagulation, softening, or membrane filtration. The study demonstrated that CO 2 addition removes high concentrations of Ca and silica ions from wastewaters at a competitive cost.

blowdown water↗
DOE OSTI2016

Enhancing Uranium Uptake by Amidoxime Adsorbent in Seawater: An investigation for optimum alkaline conditioning parameters

A high-surface-area polyethylene-fiber adsorbent (AF160-2) has been developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) by radiation-induced graft polymerization of acrylonitrile and itaconic acid. The grafted nitriles were converted to amidoxime groups by treating with hydroxylamine. The amidoximated adsorbents were then conditioned with potassium hydroxide (KOH) by varying different reaction parameters such as KOH concentration (0.2, 0.44, and 0.6 M), duration (1, 2, and 3 h), and temperature (60, 70, and 80 ºC). Adsorbent screening was then performed with simulated seawater solutions containing sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate, at concentrations found in seawater, and uranium nitrate at a uranium concentration of ~ 7-8 ppm and pH 8. FTIR and solid state NMR indicated that a fraction of amidoxime groups was hydrolyzed to carboxylate during KOH conditioning. The uranium adsorption capacity in the simulated seawater screening solution gradually increased with conditioning time and temperature for all KOH concentrations. It was also observed that the adsorption capacity increased with an increase in concentration of KOH for all the conditioning times and temperatures. AF160-2 adsorbent samples were also tested with natural seawater using flow-through experiments to determine uranium adsorption capacity with varying KOH conditioning time and temperature. Based on uranium loading capacity values of several AF160-2 samples, it was observed that changing KOH conditioning time from 3 to 1 h at 60, 70, and 80 ºC resulted in increase of the uranium loading capacity in seawater, which did not follow the trend found in laboratory screening with stimulated solutions. Longer KOH conditioning times lead to significantly higher uptake of divalent metal ions, such as calcium and magnesium, which is a result of amidoxime conversion into less selective carboxylate. Scanning electron microscopy showed that long conditioning times may also lead to adsorbent degradation

Das, S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The crystal structure of TlMgCl 3 from 290 K to 725 K

The title compound, thallium magnesium trichloride, has been identified as a scintillator with both moderate gamma-stopping power and moderate light yield. Knowledge of its crystal structure is needed for further development. This work determines the crystal structure of TlMgCl 3 to be hexa­gonal P6 3 /mmc (No. 194) and isostructural with RbMgCl 3 , contrary to previously reported data. This structure was obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and was further confirmed by neutron diffraction measurements. Extending neutron diffraction measurements to high temperature, the data show that TlMgCl 3 maintains this crystal structure from 290 K up through 725 K, approaching the melting point of 770 K. Anisotropic thermal expansion coefficients increase over this temperature range, from 31 to 38 × 10 –6 K –1 along the a axis and from 19 to 34 × 10 –6 K –1 along the c axis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Direct Observation of Reversible Magnesium Ion Intercalation into a Spinel Oxide Host

Direct evidence of Mg2+ intercalation into a spinel-type Mn2O4 is provided. By com­bining tools with different sensitivities, from atomic-resolution X-ray spectro­scopy to bulk X-ray diffraction, it is demonstrated that Mg2+ reversibly occupies the tetrahedral sites of the spinel structure through the reduction of Mn when the electrochemical reaction is performed.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2014

mRNA Transcript Abundance during Plant Growth and the Influence of Li + Exposure

Lithium (Li) toxicity in plants is, at a minimum, a function of Li + concentration, exposure time, species and growth conditions. Most plant studies with Li + focus on short-term acute exposures. This study examines short- and long-term effects of Li + exposure in Arabidopsis with Li + uptake studies and measured shoot mRNA transcript abundance levels in treated and control plants. Stress, pathogen-response and arabinogalactan protein genes were typically more up-regulated in older (chronic, low level) Li + -treatment plants and in the much younger plants from acute high-level exposures. The gene regulation behavior of high-level Li + resembled prior studies due to its influence on: inositol synthesis, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthases and membrane ion transport. In contrast, chronically-exposed plants had gene regulation responses that were indicative of pathogen, cold, and heavy-metal stress, cell wall degradation, ethylene production, signal transduction, and calcium-release modulation. Acute Li + exposure phenocopies magnesium-deficiency symptoms and is associated with elevated expression of stress response genes that could lead to consumption of metabolic and transcriptional energy reserves and the dedication of more resources to cell development. In contrast, chronic Li + exposure increases expression signal transduction genes. The identification of new Li + -sensitive genes and a gene-based “response plan” for acute and chronic Li + exposure are delineated.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Calibration to Predict the Concentrations of Impurities in Plutonium Oxide by Prompt Gamma Analysis Revision 2

This report documents the new PG calibration regression equation. These calibration equations incorporate new data that have become available since revision 1 of “A Calibration to Predict the Concentrations of Impurities in Plutonium Oxide by Prompt Gamma Analysis” was issued [3] The calibration equations are based on a weighted least squares (WLS) approach for the regression. The WLS method gives each data point its proper amount of influence over the parameter estimates. This gives two big advantages, more precise parameter estimates and better and more defensible estimates of uncertainties. The WLS approach makes sense both statistically and experimentally because the variances increase with concentration, and there are physical reasons that the higher measurements are less reliable and should be less influential. The new magnesium calibration includes a correction for sodium and separate calibration equation for items with and without chlorine. These additional calibration equations allow for better predictions and smaller uncertainties for sodium in materials with and without chlorine. Chlorine and sodium have separate equations for RICH materials. Again, these equations give better predictions and smaller uncertainties chlorine and sodium for RICH materials.

Instrumentation Related to Nuclear Science & Techn↗
DOE OSTI2022

Chronological changes in soil biogeochemical properties of the glacier foreland of Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard, attributed to soil-forming factors

We report that Glacier forelands provide an excellent opportunity to investigate vegetation succession and soil development along the chronosequence; however, there are few studies on soil biogeochemical changes from environmental factors, aside from time. This study aimed to investigate soil development and biogeochemical changes in the glacier foreland of Midtre Lovenbreen, Svalbard, by considering various factors, including time. Eighteen vegetation and soil variables were measured at 38 different sampling sites of varying soil age, depth, and glacio-fluvial activity. Soil organic matter (SOM) was quantitatively measured, and the compositional changes in SOM were determined following size-density fractionation. In the topsoil, the soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) content was found to increase along the soil chronosequence and were highly correlated with vegetation-associated variables. These findings suggest that plant-derived material was the main driver of the light fraction of SOM accumulation in the topsoil. The heavy fractions of SOM were composed of microbially transformed organic compounds, eventually contributing to SOM stabilization within short 90-yr deglaciation under harsh climatic conditions. In addition to time, the soil vertical profiles showed that other environmental parameters, also affected the soil biogeochemical properties. The high total phosphorous (P) content and electrical conductivity in the topsoil were attributed to unweathered subglacial materials and a considerable amount of inorganic ions from subglacial meltwater. The high P and magnesium content in the subsoil were attributed to parent materials, while the high sodium and potassium content in the surface soil were a result of sea-salt deposition. Glacio-fluvial runoff hampered ecosystem development by inhibiting vegetation development and SOM accumulation. This study emphasizes the importance of considering various soil-forming factors, including parent/subglacial materials, aeolian deposition, and glacio-fluvial runoff, as well as soil age, to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem development in glacier forelands.

glacio-fluvial runoff↗
DOE OSTI2013

Characterization of Representative Materials in Support of Safe, Long Term Storage of Surplus Plutonium in DOE-STD-3013 Containers

The Surveillance and Monitoring Program is a joint Los Alamos National Laboratory/Savannah River Site effort funded by the Department of Energy-Environmental Management to provide the technical basis for the safe, long-term storage (up to 50 years) of over 6 metric tons of plutonium stored in over 5,000 DOE-STD-3013 containers at various facilities around the DOE complex. The majority of this material is plutonium that is surplus to the nuclear weapons program, and much of it is destined for conversion to mixed oxide fuel for use in US nuclear power plants. The form of the plutonium ranges from relatively pure metal and oxide to very impure oxide. The performance of the 3013 containers has been shown to depend on moisture content and on the levels, types and chemical forms of the impurities. The oxide materials that present the greatest challenge to the storage container are those that contain chloride salts. Other common impurities include oxides and other compounds of calcium, magnesium, iron, and nickel. Over the past 15 years the program has collected a large body of experimental data on 54 samples of plutonium, with 53 chosen to represent the broader population of materials in storage. This paper summarizes the characterization data, moisture analysis, particle size, surface area, density, wattage, actinide composition, trace element impurity analysis, and shelf life surveillance data and includes origin and process history information. Limited characterization data on fourteen nonrepresentative samples is also presented.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗