Handling Of Nuclear Materials Research Articles

Robot-Assisted Glovebox Teleoperation for Nuclear Industry

The nuclear industry has some of the most extreme environments in the world, with radiation levels and extremely harsh conditions restraining human access to many facilities. One method for enabling minimal human exposure to hazards under these conditions is through the use of gloveboxes that are sealed volumes with controlled access for performing handling. While gloveboxes allow operators to perform complex handling tasks, they put operators at considerable risk from breaking the confinement and, historically, serious examples including punctured gloves leading to lifetime doses have occurred. To date, robotic systems have had relatively little impact on the industry, even though it is clear that they offer major opportunities for improving productivity and significantly reducing risks to human health. This work presents the challenges of robotic and AI solutions for nuclear gloveboxes, and introduces a step forward for bringing cutting-edge technology to gloveboxes. The problem statement and challenges are highlighted and then an integrated demonstrator is proposed for robotic handling in nuclear gloveboxes for nuclear material handling. The proposed approach spans from tele-manipulation to shared autonomy, computer vision solutions for robotic manipulation to machine learning solutions for condition monitoring.

Nuclear Materials Ownership in the Russian Federation

In response to the challenges of the epoch, “nuclear” laws currently regulate safety issues related to handling of nuclear materials, nuclear facilities operation, related transactions, nuclear waste processing and disposal, state control over the nuclear energy use, and international cooperation in the nuclear sphere. One of the most important institutions of the “nuclear” regulation system in Russian law is the institution of ownership of nuclear materials, understood by the modern legislator as materials containing, or capable of reproducing, fissile (fissionable) nuclear substances. Consolidating the rules of nuclear materials ownership, the legislator further formulates requirements for nuclear materials control and accounting, transactions procedure, and safe operation of nuclear facilities, as well as introduces liability for violation of such requirements. Today, many aspects related to the legal status of nuclear materials owners and the notion of handling nuclear materials deserve a deep legal analysis, since the current legal regulation has gaps and contradictions. The legal writing method used to word such norms, structures, and basic notions must meet the criteria of clarity, unambiguous interpretation, and absence of regulatory gaps, that is why the system of legal regulation of the institution of nuclear materials ownership needs further improvement.

Право собственности на ядерные материалы в Российской Федерации

In response to the challenges of the epoch, “nuclear” laws currently regulate safety issues related to handling of nuclear materials, nuclear facilities operation, related transactions, nuclear waste processing and disposal, state control over the nuclear energy use, and international cooperation in the nuclear sphere. One of the most important institutions of the “nuclear” regulation system in Russian law is the institution of ownership of nuclear materials, understood by the modern legislator as materials containing, or capable of reproducing, fissile (fissionable) nuclear substances. Consolidating the rules of nuclear materials ownership, the legislator further formulates requirements for nuclear materials control and accounting, transactions procedure, and safe operation of nuclear facilities, as well as introduces liability for violation of such requirements. Today, many aspects related to the legal status of nuclear materials owners and the notion of handling nuclear materials deserve a deep legal analysis, since the current legal regulation has gaps and contradictions. The legal writing method used to word such norms, structures, and basic notions must meet the criteria of clarity, unambiguous interpretation, and absence of regulatory gaps, that is why the system of legal regulation of the institution of nuclear materials ownership needs further improvement.

The Stability of Uranium Microspheres for Future Application as Reference Standard in Analytical Measurements

The monitoring of fuel-cycle facilities provides a tool to confirm the compliant operation, for example with respect to emissions into the environment or to supervise non-proliferation commitments. Hereby, anomalous situations can be detected in a timely manner and responsive action can be initiated to prevent an escalation into an event of severe consequence to society. In order to verify non-nuclear weapon states’ compliance with the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), international authorities such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conduct inspections at facilities dealing with fissile or fertile nuclear materials. One measure consists of collection of swipe samples through inspectors for later analysis of collected nuclear material traces in the laboratory. Highly sensitive mass spectrometric methods provide a means to detect traces from nuclear material handling activities that provide indication of undeclared use of the facility. There are, however, no relevant (certified) reference materials available that can be used as calibration or quality control standards. Therefore, an aerosol-generation based process was established at Forschungszentrum Jülich for the production of spherical, mono-disperse uranium oxide micro-particles with accurately characterized isotopic compositions and amounts of uranium in the picogram range. The synthesized particles are studied with respect to their suitability as (certified) reference material in ultra-trace analysis. Several options for preparation and stabilization of the particles are available, where preparation of particles in suspension offers the possibility to produces specific particle mixtures. In order to assess the stability of particles, dissolution behavior and isotope exchange effects of particles in liquid suspension is studied on the bulk of suspended particles and also via micro-analytical methods applied for single particle characterization. The insights gained within these studies will form the basis on the choice of the further route towards preparation of uranium particle reference standard and certification as a reference material.

Ionizing Radiation in Cardiac Imaging

A preliminary report on medical radiation exposures to the US population based on publicly available sources of data estimated that the collective dose received from medical uses of radiation has increased by >700% between 1980 and 2006.1 Computed tomography (CT) has had an annual growth rate of >10% per year and accounted for ≈50% of the collective dose in 2006. Approximately 65% of the collective CT dose is from studies of chest, abdomen, and pelvis. In 2006, cardiac CT accounted for 1.5% of the collective CT dose; however, utilization of cardiac CT is expected to rise, with the potential to further increase exposure to the population.1 Nuclear medicine studies in the United States have increased by 5% annually to 20 million in 2006 and accounted for ≈25% of the 2006 collective medical radiation dose. Among nuclear medicine studies, cardiac imaging represented 57% of the number of studies and ≈85% of the radiation dose.1 A number of publications on imaging with CT, fluoroscopy, or radioisotopes have emphasized the risks that may be associated with exposure to ionizing radiation.2–4 To make informed decisions concerning the use of medical radiation in imaging procedures, the following are important components: (1) A working knowledge of the principles and uncertainties of the estimation of patient dose and biological risk; (2) a comparison of the risks of radiation exposure with the risks of activities in daily life; and (3) recognition of the potential risk of failing to make important diagnoses or treatment decisions if imaging is not performed because of safety concerns. There is no federal regulation of patient radiation dose, with the exception of mammography. Most federal and state regulations are aimed at equipment performance or the handling of nuclear materials. Therefore, appropriate utilization of the equipment or nuclear material in cardiac …

Improved isotopic SIMS measurements of uranium particles for nuclear safeguard purposes

The isotopic analysis of particles containing sub-pg to pg levels of uranium, released from nuclear material handling, has been proven as an efficient tool for international safeguard purposes. Precise and accurate measurement of both enrichment and the minor isotopes is, however, a challenging analytical task due to the low levels of material. One of the mainstay techniques for particle measurement is Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), this study evaluates the analytical benefit of an alternative in the form of large geometry SIMS (LG-SIMS), which combines high transmission with high mass resolution. We report here that LG-SIMS instruments provide a significantly better measurement quality than the small geometry SIMS as almost all isobaric background interferences are removed at a high useful ion yield. Useful yield measurements, performed on uranium oxide particles with calibrated uranium content, showed an overall useful yield of 1.2% for the LG-SIMS at a mass resolution of 3000. These improvements were then demonstrated by comparing results from actual nuclear inspection samples measured on both instruments. Additional benefits include an increased ability to detect particles of interest in a dust matrix while simultaneously reducing the time of sample analysis. An evaluation on the performance of LG-SIMS compared to Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) is also presented. This evaluation shows that LG-SIMS has an advantage due to its high ion yield but with a limitation in the detection limit of 236U at higher enrichments due to the necessity for a hydrogen correction.

Oxidation of plutonium dioxide.

The physics and chemistry of the actinide elements form the scientific basis for rational handling of nuclear materials. In recent experiments, most unexpectedly, plutonium dioxide has been found to react with water to form higher oxides up to PuO(2.27), whereas PuO(2) had always been thought to be the highest stable oxide of plutonium. We perform a theoretical analysis of this complicated situation on the basis of total energies calculated within density functional theory combined with well-established thermodynamic data. The reactions of PuO(2) with either O(2) or H(2)O to form PuO(2+delta) are calculated to be endothermic: that is, in order to occur they require a supply of energy. However, our calculations show that PuO(2+delta) can be formed, as an intermediate product, by reactions with the products of radiolysis of water, such as H(2)O(2).

Establishment of a Clean Laboratory for Ultra Trace Analysis of Nuclear Materials in Safeguards Environmental Samples

The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has established a cleanroom facility with cleanliness of ISO Class 5: the Clean Laboratory for Environmental Analysis and Research (CLEAR). It was designed to be used for the analysis of nuclear materials in environmental samples mainly for the safeguards, in addition to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty verification and research on environmental sciences. The CLEAR facility was designed to meet conflicting requirements of a cleanroom and for handling of nuclear materials according to Japanese regulations, i.e., to avoid contamination from outside and to contain nuclear materials inside the facility. This facility has been intended to be used for wet chemical treatment, instrumental analysis and particle handling. A fume-hood to provide a clean work surface for handling of nuclear materials was specially designed. Much attention was paid to the selection of construction materials for use of corrosive acids. The performance of the cleanroom and analytical background in the laboratory are discussed. This facility has satisfactory specification required for joining the International Atomic Energy Agency Network of Analytical Laboratories. It can be concluded that the CLEAR facility enables analysis of ultra trace amounts of nuclear materials at sub-picogram level in environmental samples.

Preparation of specialists at the Moscow Engineering-Physics Institute in nonproliferation and safe handling of nuclear materials

Preparation of specialists at the Moscow Engineering-Physics Institute in nonproliferation and safe handling of nuclear materials

The Russian radiation legacy: its integrated impact and lessons.

Information about the consequences of human exposure to radiation in the former Soviet Union has recently become available. These data add new insights and provide possible answers to several important questions regarding radiation and its impact on occupational and public health. The 1986 Chernobyl accident initiated a major and early increase in childhood thyroid cancer that resulted from ingestion of iodine-131 (131I) by young children living in the most heavily contaminated areas of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. No significant additional cancer or other adverse medical effects have yet been reported in the affected populations and among clean-up workers. Major psychological stress independent of radiation dose has been observed in those people thought to be exposed. During the early days of the atomic energy program in the former Soviet Union, some unfortunate events occurred. The country's first atomic test in Semipalatinsk in 1949 exposed over 25,000 people downwind from the blast to significant doses of fission products, especially 131I. During the late 1940s and the early 1950s nuclear material production facilities were developed near Chelyabinsk in the South Ural Mountains, which resulted in major releases into the environment and significant overexposures for thousands of workers and nearby populations. Chronic radiation sickness was observed early in exposed workers, and increases in leukemia and other cancers were also reported. The series of plutonium inhalation-related lung cancers and fatalities among workers exposed in that first decade appears to be unique. Long-term consequences of chronic radiation sickness and four decades of follow-up are being described for the first time. Villagers downstream from the plant consumed high levels of 137Cs and 90Sr and, it is reported, manifested increases in leukemia from internal and external exposures. Although the 40-year databases for retrospective dosimetry epidemiology studies are just beginning to be integrated and evaluated, preliminary evaluations suggest that there may be graded, significant dose-rate amelioration factors for cancer and leukemia risks in workers and the general population relative to the risk data on the Japanese atomic bomb survivors. Even for plutonium-induced lung cancers in workers, such a dose-rate effect may be evident. These experiences give us insight into the consequences of protracted radiation at high and low doses and rates. If these findings are validated and confirmed, they can provide information that reduces some of the uncertainties in retrospective radiation dosimetry and radiation risk estimates (especially for low-level, chronic exposures) for activities related to medicine as well as the handling of nuclear materials and nuclear facility decommissioning, decontamination, and demilitarization.