Authors:
U. Nygren

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H. Ramebäck Division of NBC Analysis Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) SE-901 82 Umeå Sweden

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C. Nilsson Division of NBC Analysis Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) SE-901 82 Umeå Sweden

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Abstract  

The age of plutonium is defined as the time since the last separation of the plutonium isotopes from their daughter nuclides. In this paper, a method for age determination based on analysis of 241Pu/241Am and 240Pu/236Pu using ICP-SFMS is described. Separation of Pu and Am was performed using a solid phase extraction procedure including UTEVA, TEVA, TRU and Ln-resins. The procedure provided separation factors adequate for this purpose. Age determinations were performed on two plutonium reference solutions from the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, IRMM081 (239Pu) and IRMM083 (240Pu), on sediment from the Marshall Islands (reference material IAEA367) and on soil from the Trinity test site (Trinitite). The measured ages based on the 241Am/241Pu ratio corresponded well with the time since the last parent-daughter separations of all the materials. The ages derived from the 236U/240Pu ratio were in agreement for the IRMM materials, but for IAEA367 the determination of 236U was interfered by tailing from 238U, and for Trinitite the determined age was biased due to formation of 236U in the detonation of the “Gadget”.

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Journal of Radionalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Language English
Size A4
Year of
Foundation
1968
Volumes
per Year
1
Issues
per Year
12
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher
Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0236-5731 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2780 (Online)