Year
2003
Abstract
Capabilities of the Safeguards Analytical Laboratory (SAL) in Environment Sampling for Safeguards (ESS) are updated in this paper. Basic analytical techniques for Safeguards environmental sampling such as screening with X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF)/gamma spectrometry, particle analysis be scanning electron microscopy (SEM) – XRF and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) as well as bulk analysis by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) were established in the period of 1996-2000. Employment of some additional techniques and updating of the software/hardware have been made in order to further improve these capabilities in terms of timeliness and sensitivity to meet current requirements on ESS in the period 2000-2002. A robot arm is integrated in XRF screening to move the swipe samples horizontally just above the X-ray generator and detectors to provide information about the location of nuclear materials in the swipe, whereas total-reflection XRF (TXRF) improves the screening sensitivity down to the order of several tens of picograms (pg) for U and Pu. A wider range of information on elemental assay from beryllium to the actinides is now provided by a new wavelength-dispersive XRF spectrometer, which is useful for special samples to determine their matrix or origin. An upgrade of the SEM has improved the measurement capacity and speed, while another technique, “SEM-SIMS particle relocation”, now allows combines SEM/SIMS investigations on selected particles. A new Triton TIMS instrument equipped with an array of channeltron detectors and employment of a new cavity ion source promise the measurement of U and Pu with very high sensitivity, e.g. in the femtogram (fg) range. These installations have dramatically improved the capability of SAL for the analysis of environmental samples.