Year
2011
Abstract
A Hybrid K-Edge Densitometer (HKED) is being installed in the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The application will be the first in the world to implement the Cryo-Cycle liquid nitrogen recycle system technology on high-resolution planar detectors. This system is capable of determining uranium and plutonium concentrations in a sample solution with a wide range of major/minor (uranium/plutonium) elemental mass ratio of approximately 100:1 in the presence of fission products. Upon installation, a site acceptance test will be performed to verify and document the system’s completeness and conformity to the following types of standards: ? ? ? K-edge densitometer stand-alone calibration/verification X-ray fluorescence (XRF) low-uranium-concentration stand-alone calibration/verification HKED/XRF calibration/verification Safety issues must be addressed for installing this device in a Category 2 nuclear facility (REDC): ? Radiation exposure ? Contamination ? Handling of the uranium/plutonium solution and calibration standards ? High-voltage power supply for the x-ray tube ? X-ray emissions The HKED at ORNL will provide the international safeguards community the capability to conduct ongoing R&D in order to educate future scientists and engineers.