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Assessing hand-held Raman spectrometer FirstDefender RM for nuclear safeguards applications

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Abstract

The performance and applicability of the hand-held Raman spectrometer FirstDefender RM (Thermo Scientific) to nuclear safeguards field were assessed. More than 100 different uranium ore concentrates, frequently referred to as yellow cake, were measured and wherever applicable library scans were collected. A subset of the samples was then used to test the identification capability of the instrument. The accuracy of identification was shown to be sound for uranyl peroxide, sodium diuranate, ammonium diuranate, uranium trioxide and ammonium uranyl carbonate. The study also demonstrated the instrument’s potential for a quick quantitative determination of the uranium concentration in uranyl nitrate solutions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was done under Task A 00860 of the European Commission’s Support Programme to the IAEA. The authors would like to thank Nexia Solutions for providing the UOC samples from their Springfield plant. Also the Canadian Support Programme and the Australian Support Programme to the IAEA shall be recognized for providing UOC samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, 1400, Vienna, Austria

    A. Berlizov

  2. Institute for Transuranium Elements, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Postfach 2340, 76125, Karlsruhe, Germany

    A. Nicholl, T. Fanghänel & K. Mayer

  3. DSO National Laboratories, 20 Science park Drive, Singapore, 118230, Singapore

    D. M. L. Ho

Authors
  1. A. Berlizov
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  2. D. M. L. Ho
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  3. A. Nicholl
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  4. T. Fanghänel
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  5. K. Mayer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Berlizov.

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Berlizov, A., Ho, D.M.L., Nicholl, A. et al. Assessing hand-held Raman spectrometer FirstDefender RM for nuclear safeguards applications. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307, 285–295 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4160-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4160-z

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