Rapid dissolution of surrogate nuclear debris using ammonium bifluoride fusion and indirect sonication dissolution methods

Abstract

Prompt analysis of elemental and isotopic information from post-detonation nuclear debris is critical for rapid attribution analysis. In this work, the capabilities of dissolution methods that use ammonium bifluoride (ABF, NH4HF2) and pressurized microwave digestion with HF acid are reported for NIST Surrogate Post-detonation Urban Debris (SPUD). Elemental concentration and isotope ratios were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The SPUD material was also analyzed for U concentration using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The ABF dissolution method with a 10:1 ABF to sample ratio and the pressurized microwave digestion methods resulted in comparable results.