Citation:
T.K. Bhardwaj, J. Allred, K. Jones, P. Mendoza, R. Du, C. Folden, S.S. Chirayath, “Nuclear forensics program at Texas A&M University”, 248th American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA, August 10-14, 2014.
Abstract:
Nuclear proliferation is a growing concern worldwide due to the increased availability of nuclear materials, knowledge of sensitive technologies, and the possibility of diverting nuclear materials such as uranium and plutonium away from peaceful uses. Due to the increased risk of nuclear threats, nuclear forensics capabilities are being developed at Texas A&M University with sponsorship from the Department of Homeland Security.
Our objective is to determine the differences in fission products and actinides characteristics for uranium samples irradiated in different type of nuclear reactors. This paper presents the experimental part of the research. The final goal of these experiments is to analyze trace elements and isotopes present in the residual matrix produced by each and every step of industrial PUREX process. This talk will discuss the latest work in this area.