Nuclear Engineering and Technology

  • 제51권2호
  • /
  • Pages.384-393
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  • 2019
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  • 1738-5733(pISSN)
  • /
  • 2234-358X(eISSN)
한국원자력학회 (Korean Nuclear Society)
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Experimental validation of a nuclear forensics methodology for source reactor-type discrimination of chemically separated plutonium

  • Osborn, Jeremy M. (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University) ;
  • Glennon, Kevin J. (Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University) ;
  • Kitcher, Evans D. (Center for Nuclear Security Science & Policy Initiatives, Texas A&M University) ;
  • Burns, Jonathan D. (Center for Nuclear Security Science & Policy Initiatives, Texas A&M University) ;
  • Folden, Charles M. III (Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University) ;
  • Chirayath, Sunil S. (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University)
  • 투고 : 2018.05.07
  • 심사 : 2018.11.06
  • 발행 : 2019.04.25
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초록

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.

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참고문헌

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