RESULTS FROM THE STUDY OF UFg CONSUMPTION ON CENTRIFUGE PROCESS PIPING AND ITS INFLUENCE ON GAMMA RAY MEASUREMENTS

Year
1984
Author(s)
R.B. Strittmatter - Los Alamos National Laboratory
J.C. Pratt - Los Alamos National Laboratory
J.N. Cooley - Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant
L.W. Fields - Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant
D.A. Close - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract
A gamma ray measurement technique for confirming the absence of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in process gas of gas centrifuge enrichment plants has been developed. This measurement technique is complicated by the presence of uranium deposits on the interior walls of the process pipes. The measurement approach is described, the mechanisms for deposit are discussed, and test results for quantifying the uranium in the deposits are reported. Based on observed U.S. plant operating conditions, the absence of HEU in the process gas can be confirmed with a 5-min gamma ray measurement.