Parties to the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the NPT) which enrich uranium to various grades for energy, medicinal, and defense applications are required to adhere to treaty terms to ensure nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verification of these safeguard measures contained in the treaty. Traditionally, mass spectrometry or radiometric analysis have been used to determine the ratio of uranium isotopes in a sample. Mass spectrometry offers unparalleled accuracy and sensitivity but has been limited to expensive laboratory-based measurements due to the size and complexity of the instrumentation and often requires extensive sample preparation, greatly increasing sample analysis time. In contrast, radiometric techniques can be field-deployable but require large sample sizes and have not demonstrated adequate sensitivity or repeatability for treat monitoring. Infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy is a nondestructive optical technique sensitive to isotopic mass that detects molecular vibrations and rotations upon the absorption of infrared light. Due to its broad detection capabilities, IR absorption spectroscopy is an excellent spectroscopic tool for measuring analytes of interest in process facilities. Recent improvements in infrared laser and detector technologies have dramatically increased the analytical capability of spectroscopic-based quantification techniques, while simultaneously reducing equipment costs, experimental complexity, footprint, and analysis time. These advances have made high performance infrared spectroscopy a potential approach for real-time isotopic analysis of the isotopic distribution of uranium in uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas. The focus of this work is to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of UF6 isotopic analysis and advance the technology towards a field deployable instrument.

Infrared spectroscopic method for uranium isotopic analysis in UF6 gas

ACS Fall 2021

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