Plutonium fingerprinting in nuclear forensics of spent nuclear fuel

Simultaneous Isotopic Analysis of U, Pu, and Am in Spent Nuclear Fuel by Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

“…Uranium and Pu isotope ratios correlate with the burnup (energy produced per unit mass of fuel, related to the number of fissions during the fuel irradiation) and can be used to classify samples of spent fuel of unknown origin. For example, the measured Pu isotopic compositions of spent fuel of unknown origin can be compared to computational models of known reactors to attribute source terms. − The isotopic composition of Pu is important from a nonproliferation standpoint because weapons-grade material requires a certain level of enrichment of the fissile isotope 239 Pu . The ingrowth of daughter 241 Am from parent 241 Pu can be used to determine the elapsed time since irradiation in a reactor .…”

Multi-Element Isotopic Analysis of Hot Particles from Chornobyl

“…Nuclear forensics has long used isotope ratios to determine the origin and history of unknown nuclear material [15][16][17]. Actinide ratios serve as characteristic fingerprints of reactor design and operation [18,19], as do fission products [20,21]. Measuring these ratios typically involves a tailored approach for each element through a combination of radiometric and mass spectrometric techniques, some of which are destructive.…”

“…Even from a microscopic fuel particle, a surprisingly comprehensive characterisation can be made by targeting a range of isotopes, both in the actinides and fission products. As fuel burns up, the isotopic composition changes, serving as a characteristic fingerprint of the design and operation history of the reactor [17,19]. Burnup quantifies the energy produced in the reactor normalized by its fuel load, typically expressed in MWd/kgU.…”

3D printed field-deployable microfluidic systems for the separation and assay of Pu in nuclear forensics

“…2,3 These time-consuming laboratory processes provide invaluable analytical information for the assessment of a nuclear event or material. [1][2][3][5][6][7][8][9] Fielddeployable chemistry systems may provide more rapid analysis of post-detonation nuclear debris. Nuclear weapons are typically designed to use 239 Pu or 235 U as the fissile fuel, 3 and the resulting fission process generates fission products (FPs), neutron-induced reaction products on actinides, and a vast number of other radionuclides from the exposure of nearby materials to neutrons.…”