ADAPTATION OF HPLC-ICPMS MEASUREMENT PROTOCOLS FOR NUCLEAR PROJECTS AT THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

摘要

The Nuclear Analytical Chemistry and Isotopics Laboratories (NACIL) Group leads the analytical effort for avariety of nuclear projects at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Major projects include: 1) productionof radioisotopes Pu-238 and Cf-252; 2) detailed destructive assays of irradiated fuels and targets for theconfirmation of depletion codes and validation of NDA measurements used for safeguards; and 3) measurementof signatures in nuclear materials for the safeguarding and non-proliferation of uranium and plutoniummaterials. All have project specific requirements for the analyses of various lanthanide and actinide elementsand their isotopes, which are needed to a high degree of accuracy in a variety of matrices with specificinterference issues to overcome. Over the past couple of years, the NACIL has implemented various HPLCICPMSmeasurement protocols for the quantification of these elements and their isotopes to meet the needs ofthe respective nuclear projects. These include high-precision assays and isotopics using IDMS, rapid analysis ofAm and Cm isotopes with baseline separation, measurement of Pu and Np valance states in dissolver solutions,and measurement of Pa-231 for age dating enriched uranium. Presented is an overview of specific ORNLnuclear projects, and includes the HPLC-ICPMS protocols implemented to satisfy their analytical requirementsfor the quantification of project specific lanthanide and actinide isotopes.