Design and Performance Considerations for the Quantitative Measurement of HEU Residues Resulting from ⁹⁹Mo Production

Molybdenum-99 is produced by the irradiation of high-enriched uranium (HEU), resulting in the accumulation of large quantities of HEU residues. In general, these residues are not recycled but are either disposed of or stored in containers with surface exposure rates as high as 100 R/h. The 235U content of these waste containers must be quantified for both accountability and waste disposal purposes. The challenges of quantifying such difficult-to-assay materials are discussed, along with performance estimates for each of several potential assay options. In particular, the design and performance of a High Activity–Active Well Coincidence Counting (HA-AWCC) system designed and built specifically for these irradiated HEU waste materials are presented.