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Removal of fission product tellurium and iodine from recently irradiated HEU using copper metal

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Abstract

Gamma detection of select fission products or activation products such as 153Sm and 239Np in a fission sample is difficult due to gamma interferences from radiotellurium and radioiodine. To aid in the detection of these difficult-to-detect nuclides, the radiotellurium and radioiodine were removed using Cu metal turnings. This method is highly effective at the removal of the interfering radionuclides removing > 98% of the radiotellurium and radioiodine. A mechanistic study was conducted. Determining the deposition mechanism, using a number of techniques including XANES and electrochemistry providing an understanding of the electrochemical path for the Te deposition. Initial work focused on the use of stable Te, further expanding into activated TeO2, and a fresh fission sample. This method presents a rapid method for the direct detection of select fission products that could have a significant impact on nuclear related fields including nuclear forensics.

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Acknowledgements

This work was performed in coordination with National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development. This research was conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated for the DOE by Battelle Memorial Institute under Contract DE-AC05-76RL1830.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Bvld, P.O. Box, Richland, WA, 99354, USA

    Nic E. Uhnak, Sarah Saslow, James Bowen, Bruce Pierson, Ean Arnold, Chelsie Beck, Morgan Haney, Jane Estrada & Brienne Seiner

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  1. Nic E. Uhnak
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  2. Sarah Saslow
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  3. James Bowen
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  4. Bruce Pierson
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  7. Morgan Haney
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Correspondence to Nic E. Uhnak.

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Uhnak, N.E., Saslow, S., Bowen, J. et al. Removal of fission product tellurium and iodine from recently irradiated HEU using copper metal. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 333, 467–479 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09275-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09275-8

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