Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium
An experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for the source reactor-type discrimination of separated weapons-useable plutonium is presented. The methodology uses measured values of intra-element isotope ratios of plutonium and fission product contaminants. MCNP radiation transport c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Nuclear Engineering and Technology |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573318303036 |
| _version_ | 1818671310064058368 |
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| author | Jeremy M. Osborn Kevin J. Glennon Evans D. Kitcher Jonathan D. Burns Charles M. Folden, III Sunil S. Chirayath |
| author_facet | Jeremy M. Osborn Kevin J. Glennon Evans D. Kitcher Jonathan D. Burns Charles M. Folden, III Sunil S. Chirayath |
| author_sort | Jeremy M. Osborn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for the source reactor-type discrimination of separated weapons-useable plutonium is presented. The methodology uses measured values of intra-element isotope ratios of plutonium and fission product contaminants. MCNP radiation transport codes were used for various reactor core modeling and fuel burnup simulations. A reactor-dependent library of intra-element isotope ratio values as a function of burnup and time since irradiation was created from the simulation results. The experimental validation of the methodology was achieved by performing two low-burnup experimental irradiations, resulting in distinct fuel samples containing sub-milligram quantities of weapons-useable plutonium. The irradiated samples were subjected to gamma and mass spectrometry to measure several intra-element isotope ratios. For each reactor in the library, a maximum likelihood calculation was utilized to compare the measured and simulated intra-element isotope ratio values, producing a likelihood value which is proportional to the probability of observing the measured ratio values, given a particular reactor in the library. The measured intra-element isotope ratio values of both irradiated samples and its comparison with the simulation predictions using maximum likelihood analyses are presented. The analyses validate the nuclear forensics methodology developed. Keywords: Nuclear forensics, Reactor-type discrimination, Weapons-useable plutonium, Intra-element isotope ratios, Maximum likelihood |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T07:21:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe7914af2a7f45f48d088bf7ac901cfd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1738-5733 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T07:21:58Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nuclear Engineering and Technology |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe7914af2a7f45f48d088bf7ac901cfd2022-12-21T21:58:44ZengElsevierNuclear Engineering and Technology1738-57332019-04-01512384393Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutoniumJeremy M. Osborn0Kevin J. Glennon1Evans D. Kitcher2Jonathan D. Burns3Charles M. Folden, III4Sunil S. Chirayath5Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USACyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USACenter for Nuclear Security Science & Policy Initiatives, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USACenter for Nuclear Security Science & Policy Initiatives, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USACyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USADepartment of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Center for Nuclear Security Science & Policy Initiatives, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Corresponding author.An experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for the source reactor-type discrimination of separated weapons-useable plutonium is presented. The methodology uses measured values of intra-element isotope ratios of plutonium and fission product contaminants. MCNP radiation transport codes were used for various reactor core modeling and fuel burnup simulations. A reactor-dependent library of intra-element isotope ratio values as a function of burnup and time since irradiation was created from the simulation results. The experimental validation of the methodology was achieved by performing two low-burnup experimental irradiations, resulting in distinct fuel samples containing sub-milligram quantities of weapons-useable plutonium. The irradiated samples were subjected to gamma and mass spectrometry to measure several intra-element isotope ratios. For each reactor in the library, a maximum likelihood calculation was utilized to compare the measured and simulated intra-element isotope ratio values, producing a likelihood value which is proportional to the probability of observing the measured ratio values, given a particular reactor in the library. The measured intra-element isotope ratio values of both irradiated samples and its comparison with the simulation predictions using maximum likelihood analyses are presented. The analyses validate the nuclear forensics methodology developed. Keywords: Nuclear forensics, Reactor-type discrimination, Weapons-useable plutonium, Intra-element isotope ratios, Maximum likelihoodhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573318303036 |
| spellingShingle | Jeremy M. Osborn Kevin J. Glennon Evans D. Kitcher Jonathan D. Burns Charles M. Folden, III Sunil S. Chirayath Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium Nuclear Engineering and Technology |
| title | Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium |
| title_full | Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium |
| title_fullStr | Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium |
| title_short | Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium |
| title_sort | experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573318303036 |
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