title: Sizing particles of natural uranium and nuclear fuels using poly-allyl-diglycol carbonate autoradiography.
abstract: Theoretical and experimental methods were developed to assess the size distribution of alpha-emitting particles captured on air-sampler filters. The particle size of oxides of low enriched, depleted and natural uranium and also aged plutonium in mixed oxide reactor fuels of known composition was determined using poly-allyl-diglycol carbonate (PADC) autoradiography, the commercial product TASTRAK((R)), solid-state nuclear track detectors. The exposed PADC was chemically etched to reveal clusters of tracks, radially dispersing from central points. A theoretical model was developed which converted the number of tracks in a track cluster to the hot particle diameter. The diameters of 26 particles of natural uranium oxide were measured (4-130 microm) using an optical microscope. There was a good agreement between these particle size measurements and a theoretical assessment based on the track cluster count.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Room L5-112, McGill University Health Center, Montréal, Que, Canada H3G 1A4. gyorgy.hegyi@muhc.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hegyi
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Richardson
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001345:Autoradiography / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005374:Filtration; D006018:Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010087:Oxides; D010316:Particle Size; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*; D017974:Uranium Compounds / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D006018:Glycols; D010087:Oxides; D017974:Uranium Compounds; D014501:Uranium; C013925:diallyl glycol carbonate; C047385:uranium oxide