RE: DU suitcase shipment (reply) - "radiation signature"

["Jaro" <jaro-10kbq@sympatico.ca>]

Getting back to my original question, for a minute, on U-234 in HEU versus

DU.....



If you recall, my message included a question about U234 content in HEU (to

compare to DU, which ABC smuggled into the US).

I did some web searching (since no-one else volunteered an answer thus far)

and found a couple of FAS documents giving approximate figures :



http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/ota/934406.pdf   [1.894 MB]

Technical Aspects of Nuclear Proliferation (part 4)

<snip>

Box 4-A - Glossary of Nuclear Materials (page 121)

<snip>



Highly enriched uranium (HEU) - uranium enriched in the isotope U-235 to 20

percent or more; often refers to enrichments above 80 percent, which are

more useful for nuclear weapons. Uranium enriched to such levels will

normally contain about 1 percent U-234, which is responsible for much of its

radioactivity.



http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/ctr/docs/rep27.htm

EA - Mar 3, 1995

THIS IS A DELETED/SANITIZED VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT CONFIRMED TO BE

UNCLASSIFIED

AUTHORITY: DOE/SA-20

BY D.P. CANNON, DATE: 3/6/95

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED INTERIM STORAGE AT THE Y-12 PLANT

OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE OF HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM ACQUIRED FROM KAZAKHSTAN BY

THE UNITED STATES

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY



<snip>

3.1 HEU TO BE ACQUIRED

The HEU to be acquired and relocated to the United States includes

approximately 566 kg (0.566 MT) of HEU (nominally 90 percent U-235, 9

percent U-238, and 1 percent U-234).

<end quotes>





Assuming these figures are accurate, there is {1% divided by 0.0005% = }

2000 times as much U-234 in HEU than in DU (not 8000 x, as I calculated

earlier).



I'm still hoping however that, perhaps, someone will provide more accurate &

reliable numbers than those of FAS.



Jaro

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^





-----Original Message-----

From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]On Behalf Of Jaro

Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 10:04 PM

To: RADSAFE

Subject: Re: DU suitcase shipment (reply) - "radiation signature"



<snip>

In HEU, most of the ~ 4% that's not U235 is U234, i.e. about 8000 times the

proportion in DU !! (obtained simply by dividing 4% by 0.0005%, which equals

8000 ---  this is one point I need to get more accurate figures on: exactly

how much of that 4% is U234 and how much is U238 ? ....hopefully this isn't

classified info.)

<snip>



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