UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS

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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2015 Meeting


Section: Nuclear and Elementary Particles Physics II


Title:
ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION ANALYSIS AND AGE DATING OF URANIUM SAMPLES BY HIGH RESOLUTION GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETRY


Authors:
Andrei APOSTOL(1,2), Ana PANTELICA(1), Octavian SIMA(2), Viorel FUGARU(1)


Affiliation:
1) Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH),30 Reactorului St., 077125 Magurele, jud. Ilfov, POB MG-6, Romania

2) University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, 405 Atomiºtilor St., 077125 Magurele, jud. Ilfov, POB MG-11, Romania



E-mail
andrei.apostol@nipne.ro


Keywords:
Gamma Spectrometry, Nuclear Forensics, Uranium


Abstract:
This paper describes a non-destructive technique applied for uranium categorization and characterization. In particular, the uranium isotopic composition analysis and age dating were performed using high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. The tests were made on 9 metallic samples containing uranium with different enrichment levels (ranging from depleted to 93% enriched). Each of them was of about 2 g weight and had similar geometries. The content of 234U, 235U, and 238U was determined using a planar high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The age of the material (time interval from the last separation/purification) was determined using 214Bi/234U isotopic ratio measured with a coaxial HPGe detector placed in the low background laboratory GammaSpec. More than one approach was used in this work: automatic codes for basic uranium characterization, direct activity determination using full energy peak efficiency calibration obtained with Monte Carlo simulations, relative detection efficiency calibration using 235U and 234mPa (238U decay series) gamma-rays. The described method can be largely applied in Nuclear Forensics as the obtained results, together with other types of information, may reveal the origin of the uranium sample and help in preventing the proliferation of nuclear material. The experiments were carried out at the Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH).


References:

[1] R. Gunnink, W.D. Ruhter, P. Miller, J. Goerten, M. Swisnhoe, H. Wagner, J. Verplancke, M. Bickel, S. Abousahl, MGAU: A new analysis code for measuring U-235 enrichments in arbitrary samples, IAEA-SM-333/88.

[2] Nguyen, C. T., J. Zsigrai, Gamma-spectrometric uranium age-dating using intrinsic efficiency calibration, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 243 (2006) 187–192.

[3] O. Sima, D. Arnold, C. Dovlete, GESPECOR: A versatile tool in gamma-ray spectrometry, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Vol. 248, No. 2 (2001) 359-364





Acknowledgement:
We would like to thank Mr. Igor Maliuk from Institute for Nuclear Research of Ukraine NAS for his contribution to the analysis of the data presented in this paper.