Non-destructive determination of uranium and plutonium in annular (U, Pu)O 2 mixed oxide sintered pellets by wavelength
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Non-destructive determination of uranium and plutonium in annular (U, Pu)O2 mixed oxide sintered pellets by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry A. Pandey1,2 · F. A. Khan1 · A. Kelkar1 · P. Purohit1 · Pradeep Kumar2,3 · Vijay Kumar1 · D. B. Sathe1 · R. B. Bhatt1 · P. G. Behere4 Received: 24 April 2020 © Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary 2020
Abstract A non-destructive wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometric method for direct determination of uranium and plutonium in as fabricated annular sintered (U, Pu)O2 mixed oxide (MOX) pellets avoiding the traditional cumbersome sample preparation involving dissolution or comminution–pelletization of sample has been developed. Sintered (U, Pu)O2 MOX pellets were directly analyzed using this method by taking the sample pellets inside an indigenously developed special collet which was loaded in the spectrometer for WDXRF measurements. The developed methodology has the utility for regular analysis of samples in fuel fabrication facilities. The relative standard deviation of the analytical results for U and Pu using WDXRF were found to be better than ± 0.13% and ± 0.31% (n = 10) respectively and equivalent plutonium content obtained are in close agreement with the standard titrimetric methods. Keywords Uranium · Plutonium · Mixed oxide · Sintered pellets · WDXRF · Collet
Introduction India has chosen a magnificent three stage nuclear power programme based on its domestic resources of uranium and thorium. The first stage utilizes natural uranium (~ 0.7% 235 U) fuel in pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). In the second stage, the fissile material base will be multiplied in fast breeder reactors (FBRs) using the plutonium obtained from spent fuel reprocessing of PHWRs of first stage. Finally third stage, considering large thorium reserves in India, will be based on Th–233U fuel cycle [1]. The reprocessed UO2 (235U
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