title: Elemental composition in sealed plutonium-beryllium neutron sources.
abstract: Five sealed plutonium-beryllium (PuBe) neutron sources from various manufacturers were disassembled. Destructive chemical analyses for recovered PuBe materials were conducted for disposition purposes. A dissolution method for PuBe alloys was developed for quantitative plutonium (Pu) and beryllium (Be) assay. Quantitation of Be and trace elements was performed using plasma based spectroscopic instruments, namely inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Pu assay was accomplished by an electrochemical method. Variations in trace elemental contents among the five PuBe sources are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA. Electronic address: ningxu@lanl.gov.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallimore
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schappert
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lujan
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Garduno
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tandon
keywords: Beryllium assay; ICP-AES; ICP-MS; Plutonium assay; Sealed PuBe neutron source; Trace elements