Tension metastable fluid detection systems for special nuclear material detection and monitoring

Tension metastable fluid states offer unique potential for radical transformation in radiation detection capabilities. States of tension metastability may be obtained in tailored resonant acoustic systems such as the acoustic tension metastable fluid detector (ATMFD) system or via centrifugal force based systems such as the centrifugal tension metastable fluid detector (CTMFD) system; both under development at Purdue University. In this paper we describe research results with CTMFD systems for use in the detection of key actinide isotopes constituting special nuclear materials (SNMs) in spent fuel. Tests in a CTMFD system demonstrate the ability to detect alpha activity (at ∼100% efficiency) of U-isotopes at concentrations of ∼100 ppb (which is unprecedented and about ×100–1000 more sensitive than from conventional liquid scintillation spectroscopy). An inherent capability of TMFD systems concerns on demand tailoring of fluid tension levels allowing for energy discrimination and spectroscopy. This appears especially useful to detect the key isotopes of U and other transuranic isotopes of Pu, Np, Am, and Cm that are at different stages of nuclear fuel reprocessing (i.e., UREX+).