alpha-Particle and gamma-ray spectrometry of a plutonium solution for impurity determination.
A highly enriched (240)Pu solution was measured by alpha-particle and gamma-ray spectrometry to determine other radionuclides present in the material as impurities. Low activities of (238)Pu, (241)Am, (243)Cm and (244)Cm were determined by measuring thin sources, made from the original solution, in a high-resolution alpha-particle spectrometer. The sources were prepared by evaporating the plutonium solution on quartz plates in a vacuum chamber. From the ingrowth of (241)Am in the original solution, the amount of (241)Pu could be calculated. After radiochemical separation of (241)Am, the plutonium was measured by high-efficiency alpha-particle spectrometry to determine the amount of (238)Pu. The enriched (240)Pu material was also measured by high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry, using two different HPGe detectors to determine the impurities of (239)Pu and (241)Am. The preparation of the sources and the measurement methods are described and discussed. The measured impurities, given in % of the (240)Pu activity, are compared with the values on the certificate.
Sibbens
G
G
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel, Belgium. goedele.sibbens@ec.europa.eu
Altzitzoglou
T
T
Benedik
L
L
Pommé
S
S
Van Ammel
R
R