Fast evaluation of 235U/238U ratio in nuclear spent fuel safe guard by thermal ionization mass spectrometry by using refractory metal oxides

Abstract

A direct simple and fast method was established, to overcome the influence of low and high level impurities on the measurement of 235U/238U isotopic ratio in nuclear spent fuel safeguard by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), by using refractory metal oxide. The addition of refractory metal oxides forming solution (RMOFS), in certain proportions alongside with the spent fuel solution on the sample filaments were found to be useful during the analysis of uranium isotopic ratio by TIMS. RMOFS (with oxide melting point exceeding 2,000 °C), and particularly that of magnesium, were found to be very effective in improving the quality of the ion signal of 235U and 238U, when added without the need for prior purification. Solutions of chromium, cerium, thorium, and magnesium were investigated, to select the more convenient one, and it was found that magnesium was very useful to start with. The method was very simple, improve both the accuracy and precision of the collected data, reduce the time required to achieve steady uranium pilot signal, and hence the over all time of the analysis, regardless of the level of impurities present.