A nuclear forensics investigation involving a uranium ore concentrate relies on accurate and precise analysis of impurities. Analytical data defensibility requires the use of reference materials as ...part of quality control. This study presents a compilation of trace element concentration results of the CUP-2 Uranium Ore Concentrate Standard measured by 11 different laboratories. The laboratories employed various dissolution methods, analytical preparation methods, and instrumental platforms. The data presented here contain concentrations of 66 impurities with up to 138 individual data points for each impurity. Consensus values have been assigned to each impurity following a statistical analysis of the data set.
The threat of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) events is a serious challenge worldwide. This threat is aggravated by the prevalence of potential CBRNE materials ...normally used for industrial and scientific purposes. One potential deterrent to the use of CBRNE materials for nefarious purposes is the ability by law enforcement to attribute interdicted threat materials in terms of their provenance and linking them to people, places, and events. Isotope Ratio Method (IRM) is a technique that utilizes ratios of different isotopes of particular elements present in an investigated material to determine an isotopic signature of that material. A survey of the literature has been conducted in order to consolidate the state of current knowledge on the forensic application of IRM specifically to CBRNE materials. This review is intended for both researchers and policy makers to help identify gaps in knowledge and to determine the strategic direction of research and development to advance the application of IRM in the general arena of public safety and security.
Herein, a nuclear forensics investigation involving a uranium ore concentrate relies on accurate and precise analysis of impurities. Analytical data defensibility requires the use of reference ...materials as part of quality control. This study presents a compilation of trace element concentration results of the CUP-2 Uranium Ore Concentrate Standard measured by 11 different laboratories. The laboratories employed various dissolution methods, analytical preparation methods, and instrumental platforms. The data presented here contain concentrations of 66 impurities with up to 138 individual data points for each impurity. Consensus values have been assigned to each impurity following a statistical analysis of the data set.
In a recent international exercise, 10 international nuclear forensics laboratories successfully performed radiochronometry on three low enriched uranium oxide samples, providing 12 analytical ...results using three different parent-daughter pairs serving as independent chronometers. The vast majority of the results were consistent with one another and consistent with the known processing history of the materials. In general, for these particular samples, mass spectrometry gave more accurate and more precise analytical results than decay counting measurements. In addition, the concordance of the
235
U–
231
Pa and
234
U–
230
Th chronometers confirmed the validity of the age dating assumptions, increasing confidence in the resulting conclusions.
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